Unity in Magic
by crazyringo
Summary: When a series of weird events happen at the town of Mitakihara, the reactions among the few who notice includes an investigation - definitely not stalking - of an individual; friendly conversations with a furry, little alien from outer space; and learning the delicate process of making friends. Oh, and lets not forget babysitting. Co-written with Sixelle-of-Fireyness. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: New in Town

**A/N: Hey guys! First of all, there are two Co-Writers for this story. Pennames: crazyringo and Sixelle-of-Fireyness. This fic is based on both the anime/manga mixed with our own ideas. This story will also feature two OC's, Amai and Juudai, we hope that you guys will accept the girls with open arms!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica or any of its characters! But, we DO own our OC's named Amai and Juudai!**

* * *

~ Chapter 1: New in Town ~

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

Being new around the neighborhood meant not knowing how to get anywhere, so for lack of something better to do and because her health demanded she be active, Homura decided to go for a walk. She really needs to make this a habit; a few blocks down, and she was already out of breathe. Granted, she's only been in Mitakihara for a day, but she decided she needed to embrace a little change in her life now that her health is improving. Everything was looking up for her, and she wanted to make the best of it.

She managed to find a nice crepe stand not far from where she lives, ordering herself a strawberry one before taking a seat in a nearby bench. Aside from enjoying the delicious treat, she managed to rest for a little bit before her treat disappeared and she had no other reason to be staying there.

A park was nestled six blocks from her apartment, packed with people. Homura saw children playing in the available playground, a pond where a few people fished in, and someone strumming cords on his guitar at the edge of the park. She stayed there, away from the general crowd of people in the center, watching them go about their business.

As the sun started to sink lower in the sky, she finally stepped away to go home. A few minutes in, however, she experienced a momentary lapse in memory, her mind struggling to recall the proper path home. She stood in the middle of a path, looking one way and the other in a panic, noticing until too late of the person approaching her. Homura cried out as she was knocked onto the sidewalk, pain blossoming from her knees and shins.

"Shit! Oh God, I'm so sorry!" Homura was hauled away from the concrete, held up by her shoulders as the person helped her stay up. "Hey, are you okay?"

Homura looked at the brunette's worried face. "No, no, I'm the one who should apologize. I… I wasn't looking where I was going…" Her words drifted off as she noticed another girl, one with orange colored hair, making her way towards them, her steps quick and her face settled in a sharp grimace.

"Amai, you are an idiot." The new person admonished.

"I know." Homura was surprised the girl next to her agreed to that. "I wasn't watching where I was going, girl. It was entirely my fault! I was just so happy I finally took Judy out to that Greek sandwich shop and I didn't see you there! Seriously, are you okay?" Her head whipped towards Homura so fast, she thought she had whiplash.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." Homura smiled at her.

"Amai, seriously, you need to watch where you're going." The other girl began to scold who Homura assumed must be her friend. "You and that gorilla strength of yours is going to break someone's neck one day." Homura jumps slightly when the girl's attention turns to her. "I'm really sorry about that. She tends to get distracted easily, but I'm sure she'll do a better job of not mowing people down when she's on the streets."

The brunette remained dejected on the sidelines, not offering a word into the conversation. Frankly, Homura was at a loss. She wasn't used to talking to people in general, so she didn't know what to say or do to continue the conversation. Fortunately, the girl continued talking for her.

"She has a few screws loose, so to speak. I've heard her parents literally dropped her on her head when she was a kid." She stopped her words short, her gaze falling over Homura and causing the girl to feel slight unease. "I apologize. I'm talking your ear off and I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Naosoroshii Juudai." She smiled, the first one since she appeared, her hand stretching out in front of her.

Homura only hesitated for a moment. It wasn't often people talked to her, and she didn't talk to people often enough, but she recognized the kindness in Juudai's eyes and gesture no matter how slight it was. Her chest feeling warm, she shook the girl's hand. "P-pleasure is all mine! My name is Akemi Homura."

"Ah, that's a lovely name there. Are you new here, Miss Akemi?"

"Y-yes, I just moved here the other da—"

"HOLD ON!" The two girls jumped at the loud outburst from the side, the brunette bursting in between them. "You're new around?"

"Ah, y-y-yes?" Homura didn't know where this was going, and the look she was receiving from the brunette was making her shake on the spot. The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Amai, you're scaring her. Sto—" Whatever Juudai was going to say stopped short when Amai pushed her out of the way so she was standing directly in front of Homura. She shrieked as the brunette took her hands in hers.

"I'm slipping! How the hell didn't I find out about this?! I missed out on seeing a cutie like you! My sources are slipping!" The girl bemoaned, one of her hands slipping away to slap against the side of her face. Her other hand moved away, Amai dropping down to the ground to sit on the ground. She reached for her backpack, fishing in it before pulling out a black notebook and shifting through the pages before she landed on a blank one.

Pulling out a pen from her pocket, she freezes Homura in place with dilated green eyes and a sharp grin. "Now give me your name, age, address, phone number, and three sizes, in any order this instance!"

"Uh, but I-! What…?!"

"Don't you 'uh' me! Answer the questions! I need to know! My Date Book can't miss a single girl! Tell me! Tell me everythi-!" Amai, who at this point was gripping Homura a little too strongly on the shoulders, came to a halt when Juudai kicked her on the jaw and sent her flying and into a nearby house wall. Homura stood there in a daze, hand massaging her shoulders as her mind went to work understanding what she just witnessed.

"Again, please forgive her." Juudai prompted after she's straighten her posture and turned to look at her. "She has far too many screws loose."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

"So how was your first day of school?"

Homura looked up from her coffee, smiling at Amai – after pinching her hand away from her skirt. "Y-yes, I've settled in quite nicely. I think the teacher is quite nice, a-and…" Her voice drifted off, a blush appearing on her face.

"Wait a minute." A hand slammed on the table in front of Homura, the girl jumping as Amai invaded her personal space, green eyes wide and frantic. "I know that look! It's the face someone makes when they found _the one_! Who is it? Who the hell are you crushing on?!"

"N-no, Miss Asurito! That's not it at _all_! I just…" Homura lowered her voice, gaze falling down to her mug. "Well, she was really nice to me…"

"Ooooohh, so it's a girl you like~"

"WHAT? No," But the mischievous look Amai gave her feed into her distress. "That's not it at all!"

"There's no shame in loving another girl. Course, she'll have to pass our inspection to see if she's worthy of your affections! Come now!" Amai took a seat across from her, pulling her date book out with pen at the ready. "Tell who this girl's name is so we can begin interrogating her."

Homura's sputtering went nowhere, but thankfully rescue came in the form of Juudai as she walked by their table, smacking Amai lightly on the hand with one of the restaurant's booklets. "You just got off break. Parents or not, you're supposed to be working at their restaurant, not slacking. Get back to the floor, some tables need to be clean."

Amai pouted. "You're no fun, Judy."

"Work is capable of being fun, but only if you're actually _doing_ your job and not goofing off. You'll get into trouble with your parents, not me, so get a move on." Juudai stopped beside Homura, placing a plate of Lemon Cookies next to her. "Don't worry about her, Miss Akemi. Work will be a good distraction for her."

"T-thank you, Miss Naosoroshii."

"I must agree with her, though." Juudai took the seat Amai left, setting the tray down to reveal a plate of tiramisu and hot milk. "School wasn't too rough, right? This girl has been treating you properly?"

"Yes, she has…" Homura began snacking on a few cookies first. "She helped me find my way to the nurse's office, and-and she was really nice to me."

"What's her name?"

"Kaname Madoka."

Juudai took a sip of her milk before responding. "Hmm, I don't think I've met her before. Amai might know her." Her amber eyes rolled towards where the girl in question was currently speaking to another girl at her booth. From the look on the girl's face, Amai was one step away from getting punched in the face. "But let's avoid saying names until you're absolutely ready for her to know."

"Okay." The two girls elapsed into a fit of giggles, Juudai stopping first to continue her snack. As Homura settled down, she glanced at the window, a smile on her face as she watched the sunset sky.

She would later question if she saw the shadow of what appeared to be a rabbit by the window.

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: 2nd Floor, Library ~

Sometimes, Homura cursed her short height. She couldn't understand why the things she always required for something were always outside of reach. She remained standing on her tippy-toes for a few more seconds before settling back on her heels and out of breath.

"Found it yet, Homy?" Homura's head turned to the direction of the voice.

"Yes, Miss Asurito. Over here!" Amai's head appeared over the corner and she rushed towards her in the next minute. Homura pointed to the second topmost shelf to the red spine sticking out. Amai grabbed a hold of it and pulled.

"Is this it?" The two made their way back to the center of the library, finding Juudai writing in a notebook. They each took a seat on across from her, laying the book out on the table of a peek. "Oh, God, we gotta _read_…"

Homura giggles at Amai's grumbling. "You don't have to, Miss Asurito. I can take over from here."

"No, no, I told Judy I was going to help you with this project." The brunette slammed her fist on the table, eyes closed tight for a moment as she gathered her nerve before turning a few pages. "I don't back down from helping a friend out."

"Thank you so much…" Homura reached for another book on the table, one which Juudai found earlier.

For a while, silence fell on the three girls, the only sounds being the shifting of pages and whatever noise comes through from the background. The library didn't exactly have a quiet feel if one listened well enough and catch the little sounds; the scrapping of chairs against the floor, pages rifling from a distance, footsteps and voices from both teachers and students alike, books being removed from the bookshelves and placed on a surface of some kind. It's almost like it's a spell meant to help them concentrate.

Of course, it didn't last for long before Amai turned her attention away from her book. "Okay, just asking, you know as a reminder to make sure I'm not screwing up, but what exactly am I looking for here?"

Juudai sighed, looking away from her notebook and regarding Amai with a glare. "Why do you insist on helping if you don't even know what you're doing?"

"Because I'm trying to be a good friend here. Besides, Homy's teacher isn't being fair, giving her an assignment that'll take her forever to do research on!"

"Lower your voice. I'm not questioning your determination. It's admirable, but will it kill you to actually pay attention for once?"

"Um, Miss Asurito, Miss Naosoroshii…" Homura stared nervously at the people staring at her friends.

"Right, right…" Juudai cleared her throat before continuing in a quieter tone. "Her project is on famous women in history."

Amai stared and blinked for a few seconds before her face twisted in thought. "Please don't tell Miss Saotome was the one who gave this assignment."

"Uh, who?"

"By God, she did, didn't she? More boyfriend trouble. I swear I told that woman to find herself a good girlfriend. Guys aren't worth it half the time, unless they're on their knees begging for you."

"I'm going to pretend I know who you're talking about that way you won't feel as offended when I change the subject. Subject change." Juudai snapped her fingers in emphasis. "Please give me a suggestion on how you will assist Miss Akemi in her project."

The brunette stops to think about it for a moment, humming all along. Her face brightens after a moment. "I can decorate the poster!"

Juudai stared at her before nodding her head slowly. "That can work." She turns to Homura next. "I suppose I'll help you with research. If we don't get on with that, Amai will get bored. She won't have much to work on, otherwise."

"O-okay."

"So, did you find anyone interesting?" Juudai looked over Homura's shoulder as she tilted the book towards her.

"I can't choose between Joan de Arc and Cleopatra. What do you think?"

"Choose the one that has the most research in, whichever is the most interesting. It's better to choose something you can manage to be energetic about. I think I saw Cleopatra mentioned a few times in the other books."

"A-all right then, I'll check these out." Homura stacked the books together and went to pick them up, grunting softly as she tried to carry their combined weight. When she takes a step back, she exhales the breath she was holding in a puff, panting as she tried to get her breathing under control. Amai got up from her seat, walking around the table to take the books out of Homura's grasp.

Homura tried to protest, but Amai simply waved her concerns away before walking towards the checkout counter. Juudai gathered her stuff together, pushing her and Amai's chair in before gently pushing Homura towards the exit. "It's okay, Miss Akemi. Amai and I are here to help you."

"I… I don't know how to thank you." Homura didn't know how to voice her thoughts aloud. Ever since she came here, she managed to make three friends. It was more than she could ask for since she left the hospital.

By the time they caught up to Amai, she had already finished checking out the books and was arranging them in a plastic bag. "Hey! You two want to eat dinner at my place tonight? I want to try out this new recipe I looked up in one of Mom's old recipe books."

Juudai reached to take the bag out of her hands. "On the topic of your mother, how is she doing? Isn't she due soon?"

"Yeah, but I don't know when soon is soon." Amai sighed as the three of them stepped out of the library. "She's driving me and Dad up the wall with her mood swings. I bet it's a boy, I'm calling it now. Only a guy can give a girl that much grief."

"Your parents wanted the child's gender to be a surprise?" Homura asked.

"Yeah. We got a name for the little tyke once he comes to join us."

"Or she."

"Whatever. So, yeah, Homura, are you coming over? I know Judy won't turn down a free meal if it's offered, but what about you?"

Juudai grumbled in the background, the pigtailed raven replied, "I don't know, Miss Asurito. I do not want to be an inconvenience."

"Nonsense! You're more than welcomed at our place. Judy's always there."

"Because I work there."

"My parents really like you, too! So, yeah, just stay over for a bit for some grub, or maybe after eating we can work on your project together!"

Homura really wanted to thank whoever or whatever left her in the care of these two great friends. She couldn't resist the smile on her face if she tried. "Yes, I think that would be lovely."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mall ~

The activity in the mall can only be described as hustling and bustling. Homura stared nervously at the sea of faces surrounding her, trying desperately to find someplace to stop for a rest away from this suffocating mess. When she finally broke through the crowd, she was gasping for breath, stumbling blessedly on the empty bench nearby. She collapsed onto it, taking a few minutes to remember how to breathe before she finally pulls out her cell phone. The ring tone started playing after she finished typing in the number.

"Homy! Where the hell are you?" Amai paused for a moment before continuing again. "I just found the store with the spices. Judy wants me to go inside already but you ain't here yet and I'm not moving until you get here." There was some yelling in the background which Homura guessed to be Juudai from the sound of the voice. "Wait! Judy! Where are you going?"

Another ringtone rang off, and Homura stumbled in telling Amai to wait as she switched lines on the phone. "Hello?"

"Miss Akemi, where are you?" Juudai sounded exasperated. "Amai didn't even think to consider you might not know your way around the town quite yet. If you can give me a landmark to identify…?"

"Oh, I'm already at the mall, but… I kind of lost my breath and I'm taking a break now."

"Are you on the first or second floor?"

"The first."

"Can you tell me the names of the stores around you?"

After giving her a response, Homura only had to wait all of five minutes before she saw her friend's orange hair among the crowd. She made a beeline for her, passing her a cool bottle of water. Homura gave her thanks before taking a long swig from it.

"Whenever you're ready to go, we can go see Amai."

"Will Miss Asurito be all right by herself? You just left her."

Juudai rolled her eyes. "Regardless of all the talks about abandonment issues she likes to give, I assure you she's fine. She won't die without us in ten minutes. Besides, I'm doing her the favor of bringing you to her, so she can put a sock in it."

Homura giggled. Counting to three, she rose to her feet before nodding her head. "Okay, I'm ready to go."

Juudai took a hold of her hand and lead her through the sea of people. It was still an overwhelming experience for her, but Homura could tolerate it more than earlier with Juudai anchoring her through. She didn't even notice when the two of them rode the escalator to the second floor. Looking further ahead, she saw Amai standing in front of an herb store, a foot tapping on the ground as she waited for their arrival.

"Finally! Did you get lost on the way back?" Amai admonished.

"This is all your fault, so shut up."

"How's this my fault?!"

"The least you could've done was pick up Miss Akemi. I know how to make my way. She doesn't. You could've helped her and you didn't. Now look at her." At this point, Homura knew Juudai was trying to appeal to Amai's soft side. The brunette was surprisingly gentle when something triggered that part of her.

Personally, Homura didn't feel as famished as she did before. Juudai really helped out with bringing her water and keeping her company in this suffocating place. Apparently her recovery wasn't satisfactory; Amai stepped up to her, eyes shifting this way and that as she studied her.

The pigtailed raven gasped when Amai suddenly drew her into a tight embrace. "Oh, you poor baby! I made you go through all of that. I'm a horrible person. Say it with me: Amai's a big doodoo head."

"Um, I don't think that's exactly appropriate for me to repeat!"

"Shush now." Her hand gently patted the top of Homura's head. "It's the truth and I'll be the first to admit. But guess what? If you're not going to admit it, I'll promise from here on out to be more considerate about you. Starting now, I will watch your every step and guide you in life."

"Oh, no, Miss Asurito. You don't need to do that for me."

"Nonsense! As your senpai, it's only natural for me to show you my ways and hope you can learn and better yourself from them!"

"If she becomes anything like you, that would be horrid." Juudai wretched Amai away from Homura, both girls gasping at the suddenness of it. Amai pouted when her friend pushed her in the direction of the shop. "Didn't you call us here because you wanted to show us some spices? You were all worked up about that, so come on."

"Um, actually…" Amai stepped away, her fingers twiddling in front of her as she chuckled nervously. "I've already bought them."

Silence fell on the two of them, the sound of the mall overlapping it, before Juudai made for Amai, lifting the sleeve of her shirt to her shoulder as her fist clenched at her side.

"Nononono! No violence! Let me finish! I wanted to try a baking recipe." Juudai crossed her arms and huffed. "No, for real! I wanted to share it with you and Homy since, you know, the two of you are my friends and all."

"That's… actually sweet of you." Juudai admitted with just the slightest hint of astonishment on her face.

"I was thinking maybe we can make it together. What do you think, Homy?" Amai looked expectantly at Homura.

"I-I've never baked before." The raven can barely handle cooking herself a meal, how would she bake? "What if I end up messing it up?"

"That's what everyone says. I should know; Judy tried to pull that one on me the first time I asked her to do this with me." Juudai glared at Amai when she looked at her. "And guess what? She ended up being a mighty fine baker! Mom even says she's better than her."

"That's not true." Homura didn't miss the blush on Juudai's face.

"Besides, baking is fun, whether you're good at it or not. I'll show you what to do."

"You've never baked yourself, Amai. If anything, I'll be the one showing her how to bake."

"Exactly! We kneel to you, Baking Queen!" Amai fell to her knees on the floor, her arms bowing before her. Homura knew she was only playing, but she didn't know if she should join in the jesting or stand awkwardly in the sidelines; she is painfully aware how odd this scene must appear to bystanders.

As if sensing her discomfort, Juudai held her hand out and shook her head. "Quit it. You're making a fool of yourself more so than usual. Fine. Whatever. We can do the baking thing, although I still think you just want me to bake sweets for you."

"Totally not true!"

The three of them started making their way to the store, Amai talking all the way. "I really want to learn how to bake. Normally, the baking is left to my mom but you know how well that's going right now. My dad's the one who's been baking mostly but I asked him to give me some pointers. You know, because the baby's on the way and I want to pull my weight around when they need to divide the tasks. Right now, I've mostly stuck to the dining room and kitchen, but the floor gets traumatic, especially during rush hour. God! I don't think I can handle any of the waitresses working there more than I need to."

Amai continued ranting about her family's restaurant for a bit as she led them down the store's aisle. Up until now, Homura's not seen a store as colorful as this one. Though the building's overall color was a light pasty tone, the contents of the shelves made up for it. They first walked into an aisle filled with a variety of cake mixes before they walked into one with candles and decorative items. She nearly bumped into Juudai when Amai came to a halt in an aisle filled with decorative sprinkles.

The next few minutes were spent with Amai asking their opinion on what kind of sprinkles to buy. Juudai kept snapping at the girl when she received an answer only to place the bottle back on the shelf. Eventually, she went quiet and picked out three bottles.

"See? This one here's green like me~" She pointed to the green pendant around her neck. "This one's orange like your hair, Judy~" The girl in question slapped Amai's hand away when the brunette made to reach for her curls. "And this one's purple for you, Homy." Amai smiled triumphantly as she held the bottle out towards her.

"Why is that, Miss Asurito?"

"Your eyes, silly!" Homura blinked, leaning back when the girl leaned over her and looked her straight in the eyes. She turned her gaze away, flustered.

"I-is that so?"

"Yep! We can decorate the cakes with this!"

"So we're making cakes then?" Juudai pushed the small cart she dragged with her from the front of the store forward; Amai dropped the bottles into it.

"It's more like cupcakes, but yeah."

"We'll need frosting, then. I think it's in the next aisle."

"Already ahead of you!" With a giggle, Amai runs off.

"And the two of us are left behind just like that." Juudai drawls as she follows her friend in a slow pace. Homura stood by her side, her attention still caught by the colorfulness of the store. "There's no hurry, though. Knowing her, she's probably waiting for us to hurry our behinds so she can continue zipping across the store."

When the two of them made it to the end of the aisle and turned to the next one, however, Amai was nowhere to be seen. Homura's heart jumps, her breath quickening as she tried to find her friend. Her eyes landed on Juudai; she can tell the orangette was trying her best not to appear worried, but her eyes kept jumping from one corner of the store to the other.

Homura's gaze turned to the entrance of the store, and there she saw the brunette standing at the store's entrance. She tugged at Juudai's sleeve for her attention, pointing at the entrance just in time for her to see Amai before she turned her head. Amai's face appeared to be in shock, the girl frantically looking about for a few seconds before she yelled something Homura couldn't quite catch. The moment after the brunette ran off.

The cart's wheels squeaked in protest as Juudai pushed it to the nearest empty shop register to pay for its bare contents. Homura struggles to keep up with her when she barrels out of the store.

"W-wait, Miss Naosoroshii!" The girl stopped long enough for Homura to catch, resuming her walk afterwards in a steadier pace. They walk in silence, passing by a few stores, before Homura asks, "Did… did you hear what Miss Asurito was yelling before she ran off?"

Juudai nods her head. "She called out, 'Maria'."

"Maria? What does that mean?"

"I don't know. That's what I hope to find out when we find her. After I've wringed her neck, of course." She stopped, her amber eyes darted this way and that, before she turned to look at Homura beside her. "Granted, that is if we can find her. She went this way, no doubt, but that's as far as we know."

"I'm sorry. I slowed us down."

"No, don't worry about it." From the corner of her eye, Homura saw Juudai tighten her grip around Amai's forgotten purse and purchases. "She'll turn up sooner or later. In the meantime, we could try to wait for her in the mall's center. Whenever the two of us go shopping here, we usually stop at the crepe shop on the west wing before we leave. If anything, she'll stop there after she's done with her wild goose chase."

With any other words, the two start making their way to the food court. Homura followed after her, making sure to keep close and to keep up with her pace. Her eyes continued to wander, though, in search for any signs of Amai. She tried to keep an eye for the colors of their school uniform in the crowd, and her attention draws to a flash of khaki from the right. Her strides came to a stop, and her body turns to take a closer look, seeing the colors disappear behind a set of doors.

* * *

~ Weird Space: Unknown ~

She's sure she heard Juudai call out to her, but Homura did not heed her for once. The door flew opened with a heavy push from her hands, and she sailed into the maintenance hallways of the mall. The lack of light did nothing to deter her near sight as she looked for Amai or for whoever went in here. A door slammed shut from somewhere behind her, causing her to gasp and swerve her head back to find the source. Her heart began to race, and her footsteps picked up the pace.

The scenery beside her warped the further she went, though her eyes skimmed over this way and that. When her foot tripped over something, she yelped, falling to the ground. Her glasses flew off her face, leaving her stranded in a world of blur. Her hands groped wildly in front of her until they smacked against the metal frames, and she immediately grasped the glasses to bring to her face.

Eyes came into focus, and widen in horror.

She didn't realize the walls melting into a pastel mess, a mix of rainbow colors and doors sunken into it. The floor had become uneven, elevating at some portions, and lowering in others. Homura looked up at the ceiling and saw nothing but darkness. Looking forward, however, offered her a different experience. Wires streamed from unknown portions of the ceiling to the floor, barbed and sharp.

As she shakily rose to her feet, she tried to recall if a mall could even be this dangerous until she hazily recalled seeing plain signs and buckets when she went through the doors earlier. She took a step back, breath hastening in intake.

"H-hello?" The pigtailed raven wasn't expecting an answer, but she also wasn't expecting a hand to grab her arm. Her scream echoed throughout the space before a familiar voice shushes her.

"Miss Akemi, it's me." Juudai sounded hurt but she loosens her grip on Homura, stepping forward to take a good look at her. "You aren't hurt, are you?" Homura couldn't find her voice, the shame at screaming at a friend befalling her, so she merely nodded.

Juudai accepted her response, her hand lowering to grip hers, and tugging her back. "We need to leave, that much is obvious. So come on. I highly doubt Amai is here."

"Miss Naosoroshii," Homura managed to find her voice at last. "You… do see all of this…?"

"I do." The orangette's face turned into a harsh grimace. "This is a nightmare. I'm pretty sure the mall's faculty would have done something about this mess if they had left it in the first place, so I highly doubt this is their fault. And I don't want to stick around to find out who's it is."

Seeing the point in her logic, Homura passed the reigns over to her.

The two of them froze in place at the sound of heels approaching them. Homura couldn't stop the cry from leaving her lips as she tried to see beyond Juudai's shoulder the source of the sound. The orangette held an arm in front of her, ready to shield her at whatever decides to take a leap at her. As the seconds ticked by, the footsteps got louder and picked up the pace. The two froze as the sound started heading towards them.

A gunshot snapped them from their trance, followed by the redirection of the steps. Homura looked into the darkness and thought she saw the swish of long dark hair and purple tail coats set over a white shirt. Something about her seemed so familiar to her, but before she can figure out why, the girl turned to look at them. A moment later, she sprinted off further down the hall.

The words Homura wanted to cry out died out in her mouth when Juudai pushed her back further. "Homura, watch out!"

A shadow leaped towards them, and instead Homura yelped as she fell backwards. Juudai barely managed to dodge the strange newcomer.

"Miss Nao-!" The raven didn't get a chance to finish screaming before something dropped on top of her, her breath escaping her in a huff. Whatever is on top of her creeps around, unsettlingly soft and scratchy against her exposed skin. Whispers of words flowed over her, the rambling leaving her confused. A little shriek slips out of her when she thought she felt something else crawl over her legs. "Get off of me!" She managed to wheeze out.

Her legs failed to work at first, but her hands started scrambling in front of her, pulling her away from the little mob on her. Lavender eyes going about wildly, she found Juudai in a similar situation. The weird creatures appeared to be white balls of cottons sporting black mustaches and thin limbs of sorts. They were having a tougher time piling on Juudai as she kicked them and swatted them away with her bag.

"Miss Akemi! This way!" Juudai scrambled to her feet, and waved in front of her. Homura struggled a little bit longer to get up, but aside from a few of the cotton balls jumping on her, she managed to run up to Juudai.

The orangette pushed away whatever of the little critters held onto her, and they both ran through one of the doors on the side.

"Whatever you do, don't look back!" Homura could only nod in agreement to Juudai's words and the two continued running down the hall, unsure of their destination. Everything appeared the same, with the same shifting colors and the hall seemed without end.

Their footsteps eventually lead them to a room at last, expansive and filled with upright articles of stone. In the very center stood three figures, one with their back turned to them. The other two Homura felt a spike of recognition in her chest.

"Hey, you guys need to run!" Juudai calls out as they ran towards the newcomers. "There's something really weird going on around here!"

The one girl turned around to face them, a small smile on her face. Homura's heart stopped when she saw a gun materialize in her hand – a gun she was aiming at them. Juudai slid to a stop, her arms outstretched to cover Homura. When the gunshot rang, a squelch sound erupted far behind the two girls. Homura whipped her head back, watching some of the strange creatures from earlier fall to the floor in a burst of green.

"Don't worry, ladies." The girl said with a smile as she took steps forward to stand in front of the two, more of the rifles materializing around her. "I've got this covered."

Forming a line over her head, the rifles aimed at the incoming horde of monsters. The girl held her hands out in front of her, and gave a shout. "_Tiro Finale_!"

All at once, the guns let fire, enveloping the monsters in smoke as a fountain of green roses littered the air before landing on the ground. Homura continued to stare at the quick aftermath of their chase, but her attention is broken when someone places a gentle hand on her upper arm.

"…Miss Akemi?" The words were spoken softly, hesitantly, and Homura turned to look in the eyes of a pinklette girl she meets every day she goes to school.

"M-miss Kaname? Miss Miki?" She adds the last surname when she sees the blunette from the corner of her eye. Miki Sayaka stepped forward, eyes wide and landing on Homura.

"You're here too, Akemi?"

"I'm glad you're okay." Kaname Madoka spoke up, sniffling a little.

"No one's hurt, right?" The blonde gunwoman stepped back to the group, the smile still on her face. "I'm glad to see the two of you are okay. I was aware some other citizens have walked in here, but I thought I found them."

"I-I'm okay…" Homura breathed as she watched the girl stop next to Madoka and Sayaka. A spark of light enveloped her, and Homura gasped slightly as the strange outfit she wore was replaced with the school uniform of their school. "Y-you… you're…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I really should introduce myself." She curtsied, raising and looking Homura and Juudai in the eyes. "My name is Tomoe Mami, and I'm a magical girl."


	2. Chapter 2: Magical Girls

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 2: Magical Girls ~

~ Mitakihara City: Closed off Mall Construction Site ~

Both Juudai and Homura were left in a state of speechlessness, which lasted even after the weird scenery faded back to reveal the back halls of the mall. Juudai was the first to recover. "N-nice to meet you, Miss Tomoe."

Mami giggled. "Oh, Mami is all right. Are you familiar with Madoka and Sayaka, by any chance?"

The pinklette steps forward. "Oh, Mami, this is my friend from homeroom, Miss Akemi!" Homura stammered incoherently as she was pulled towards Mami.

"A-ah, pleased to meet you!" The raven squeaked out in response.

To Juudai's surprise, a silence enveloped them. Mami's eyes widen a bit before a thoughtful look settled over her face. Madoka shuffled next to Homura nervously, and the blunette standing silently on the sides finally spoke up.

"Hey, wait a minute, you look familiar…" The tomboy leaned towards Homura, glaring at her and ignorant of her discomfort as she fidgeted in place.

"Sayaka, what are you doing? Look at her; you're making her nervous…" Mami stepped forward, placing a hand on Sayaka's shoulder and pulling her away. Homura breathed a sigh of relief, leaning towards Juudai. Mami smiled, understandably. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Homura. And you, may we have your name as well?"

"Naosoroshii Juudai." The orangette glared at the blunette before looking at Mami. "The pleasure's all mine, Miss Tomoe. So you are Kaname Madoka, the girl Homura's been telling us all about? Nice to meet you."

Madoka's face turned into a shade matching her hair, the girl sputtering cutely. "Oh, h-has Miss Akemi really been speaking so much of me?"

"Truly. She spoke so highly of you she managed to rile up a friend of mine." Juudai's face twisted for a moment before she cast a neutral look on the blunette. "And you?"

The blue haired tomboy huffed. "Miki Sayaka."

Juudai left the introduction to that; Mami didn't really give her a chance to answer if she did have one in mind. "I think we can continue this conversation elsewhere. The witch seems to have left the vicinity, but it doesn't hurt to leave in case it decides to return. In the meantime…"

Mami walked towards Madoka, who until now had been holding what appeared to be a white bundle in her arms. Upon closer inspection, when Mami took the bundle into her arms, Juudai realized it was a white bunny. …Of sorts.

The bunny was placed onto the floor, Mami kneeling down before it. Her hands hovered over its body, hands glowed a bright yellow and enveloping him in the light. The seconds ticked by and the scratches littering its body faded away. Her hands moved away, and a few seconds later the little critter stirred. His eyes blinked open, revealing red eyes.

"_Oh, hello there, Mami_." Juudai blinked in surprise when she heard the voice echo in her head. "_Thank you for healing me. I didn't know what I would have done without your help_."

"I'm sure you would have been all right, Kyubey." Mami responded with a smile before getting to her feet.

Kyubey jumped to its feet as well, prowling around Mami's legs for a bit before looking up. "_I'm sorry for the mess I got you all into. Especially you, Kaname Madoka_."

Madoka's face looked an equal mix between astounded and excited as she got to her knees to further study it.

Sayaka's mouth fell open, voice stammering as she tried to find her words. "What the hell? How is it talking? And how does it know her name?"

"_Oh, it's telepathy._" Kyubey helpfully replies. "_It's my way of communication, a rare form for humans but common for my species. And of course I know Madoka's name. I also know your name, Miki Sayaka._" Overlooking Sayaka's look of surprise, he stared at the two girls standing by the side. "_And you two are Akemi Homura and Naosoroshii Juudai. I didn't mean to involve the two of you, but in the long run this is beneficial for all of us present. All the same, it's a good thing the two of you aren't injured_."

Homura stood back, astonished and unsure on how to handle the situation.

Juudai, on the other hand, appeared to glow, her face staring at Kyubey in awe. She joined Madoka on the floor, kneeling closer to the rabbit-like creature. "Cute…" She mumbled under her breathe. Her hand lifted towards Kyubey, though she retracted her hand back at the last second.

Kyubey closed its eyes, throwing its head back with a smile. "_Well, now that everyone's here, I can tell you all what I wanted to ask you: would the four of you be interested in making a contract with me?_"

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mall Center ~

Juudai pushed the door open, and both she and Homura stepped into the main hub of the mall. The crowd has lightened since they strayed minutes ago, but to Homura it felt like an eternity. The pair shuffled over to a nearby bench, collapsing onto it with a huff. They sat together in silence, Homura overlooking the panes of the ceiling overhead while Juudai watched people passing by before them.

The silence finally shattered with Juudai's words. "Well, that was something."

Homura couldn't really give an answer; she merely nodded.

"We still haven't found Amai, though." Juudai stared thoughtfully at a banner of sweets before she stood up. "I'm not leaving here until I find her. Are you going to go home?"

"N-no."

"Well, I won't force you to walk if you're tired. I'm going to try to search around first. If I can't find Amai, I'll come back for you here."

Homura opened her mouth to speak but a familiar voice interrupted her. Lavender eyes widening, she and Juudai stared as Amai ran towards them.

"Hey, you two!" The brunette caught up to them, catching her breath. "Where you've been?" In response, Juudai smacked her against the head with her bag. After Amai spent a few moments agonizing over her injury, she aimed a glare at her offender. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For running off on us, you twit!" Amai leaned away when Juudai imposed herself towards her, face twisted in anger and concern. "Do you know how worried we were about you? And you just up and left us like that!"

Amai looked to be at a loss of words, her eyes flickering to Homura for a moment before she turned her attention back to the orangette. "Look, I'm sorry. I just thought I saw someone I haven't seen in a long time, and I didn't want to miss the chance to talk to her. Besides, you could have just called me."

Juudai wordlessly holds up a green bag in front of Amai's face.

"Oh."

"Yeah… Oh. You left your bag in the store, dummy! Of course we couldn't contact you!" And with that, Juudai stomped away from her friend.

Standing in awkward silence for a few moments with Amai, Homura slowly approached the brunette. "Um, if I may ask, who exactly were you looking for, Miss Asurito?"

Amai sighed, gesturing with one hand for Homura to follow. "It's an old friend of mine. I've known her longer than Juudai, but I didn't see her as often. I knew her through my parents because they knew her parents. Whenever they got together for house visits, they'd bring her along. The two of us…got along well enough." She sighed again, looking to her right at a fabric store; the front windows showed sales on ribbons of various colors. "I only got to see her on days like that, or if my parents were babysitting her. She really liked our restaurant; my mother taught her how to bake and make tea. She'd always let me taste her food first before anyone else."

"It sounds like she was a wonderful friend." Homura could hear the longing in Amai's voice.

"Yeah, she was. I really hate that I didn't call out to her more. She lived on the other side of town, but I've never seen her place and my parents never took me to their place, not once. If I reached out to her more, I'm sure the two of us could have been closer friends."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"That's the thing." Amai sniffed, and Homura noticed tears in her eyes. "The last time I saw her was a year ago. Her parents suffered a horrible accident; they didn't make it."

"How terrible…"

"Yeah… We ended up holding the funeral for them, but…" Amai stopped in place, Homura falling into step behind her. "My parents told me she appeared, but she didn't stay long. She didn't stay to talk to me… You'd think she would, what with losing her parents and everything."

"You know, my parents had asked her parents to be my godparents." Amai's tone swiftly changed into a wistful one, a small smile on her face. "They didn't tell me themselves until later, and by then it'd been a while since we've seen her family. When we…saw them again… Yeah…"

The two resumed walking, the silence heavy with the revelation but not suffocating. Homura dared to ask, "So you have not seen your friend ever since?"

Amai shook her head. "I didn't really get to see her that often to begin with. Let me tell you something funny; although I've known her for so long, I don't even know her name." To Homura's dumbfounded expression, she laughed. "Yeah, stupid, right? It's not that she didn't introduce herself to me, but it was so long ago. Besides, I usually referred to her as 'Big Sis' or 'Senpai'. Hmm, I sometimes called her 'Maria' as well. Because she's a cute girl, and Maria goes with her, but I'm sure that's not her real name."

"If I ever see her again, to celebrate a proper reunion, I'm taking her out on a date. I'll try to remember her name this time, and we'll go out for crepes like we used to. In the meantime…"

They stopped again, Homura noticed, in front of a crepe shop. Juudai stood in front of it, and Homura recalled what the orangette mentioned earlier. Amai stepped forward, her smile turning into a grin she flashed to Homura with a turn of her head.

"I have friends right now that require my attention first." The brunette walked up to Juudai, who refused to meet her eye.

Amai hugged her nonetheless, ignoring the way her friend flinched in her embrace.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry because I'll probably screw up again in the future. You know how I am. But I'll try my best not to forget my phone next time so we can keep in contact." Amai pulled away with a smile, holding out a hand. "Especially since this time, you walked away with my purse."

Juudai huffed, holding out both Amai's purse and purchases from the bake store. "Just remember that for next time. Now, are we going for crepes or are you going to run out on me again?"

"Well, since you're putting it that way!" Amai laughs as she crushed Juudai against her chest in another hug. Juudai rolled her eyes but nonetheless eventually returns the embrace. "The crepes on me today! And this time we got Homura to introduce to the wonderful world of sweeten pancakes. While we eat, I'll explain everything to you, dear sweet Judy."

"Don't 'dear sweet' me!"

"Aw! You're grouchy!"

Homura shrieked a little when Amai brought her into an embrace, head close to Juudai as the two of them were held together. The raven giggled as Juudai growled in irritation.

"I have to be here for both my Judy and my Homy! So I can't afford to screw things up now when you guys are depending on your senpai!" Amai declared. "My first order of business is our crepe date, so let's go!"

There was no room for disagreement as Homura and Juudai were dragged away to the food court.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

On her way home from the nearby grocery store, Homura heard someone call out her name. "Yes?"

Her lavender eyes widen when she noticed Madoka out of the three girls approaching her. She fidgeted in place, arranging her bags a bit as she tried to make fix her skirt and hair. "A-ah, hello, Miss Kaname."

Madoka approached her with a lovely smile, ignorant of Sayaka's disapproving face and Mami's contemplating one. "Good evening, Miss Akemi."

Homura wondered how Madoka can be so brilliant in joy; Amai was similar in a way, but Madoka shone like a sun and Homura oftentimes felt like she needed to look away for fear of getting burned.

The raven decided she did truly want to be Madoka's friend; Amai and Juudai (mostly Amai) approached her, so now she wishes to make her own attempts at making friends. "Good evening, Miss Kaname. Miss Miki. Miss Tomoe."

Madoka cheerfully returned the greeting; Mami curtsied slightly and Sayaka scowled before turning her head in a huff.

"How's is your evening so far, Miss Akemi?" Mami asked.

"Oh, it's going well." Homura began to explain. "I just finished my chores for the day and was going to head home. And you all? Are you all on a walk?"

"Something like that." Mami answered. "If I may ask, are you busy at the moment?"

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Juudai couldn't sit still at home. Her little brother had just left from the Asurito's restaurant, helping them in the back with the garden. It was his favorite part of living so close to them, aside from the fact they had pseudo-guardians to care for them. In Juudai's book, life wasn't bad; they got free food, and she was slowly saving up money so they can move out into a better place in the future. It was a goal for her to focus on, anyway.

And of course, Xavier. Her little brother came first and foremost with everything, so whatever he asked she would do her best to grant. He was still too young to work (technically she was too) so she tried her best to appease him with the small earnings the elder Asurito's give her. _Then_ whatever was left over she sent to her account. She needed to check out the local bulletin board to see if there were any odd jobs available for her to do.

"Xavier, I'm going out. Let Mrs. and Mr. Asurito know for me, will you _lucelino_?" Juudai cooed at him.

The four year old immediately ran to her, arms wide and enclosing her in a hug. "Will Big Sis be gone long?" He asked, his blue eyes enlarging a bit from excitement.

"Not too long, I hope. I need to check on something. In the meantime, you be a good boy and listen to whatever Auntie Aly and Uncle Jared say, okay?"

"_Si_."

"And if Amai asks you anything," Juudai concludes with an irritated face, "You tell her what?"

"I'm just a kid." He shrugs his shoulders and gives her his best 'I'm adorable and I wouldn't hurt a fly' face.

"Exactly. You are a smart boy." She kisses him on his forehead. "Love you, Xavier."

"Love you, too."

If she could, Juudai would bring her brother with her. Maybe keep him stored away in her pocket, away from the world. But it wasn't possible, and she wouldn't want to restrict her brother like that. He deserved the best, and Juudai hopes she can give that to him sometime in the future, starting first with school. Aly and Jared already gave their portion of money needed to get him into school, now she just needed the rest. Just a little bit more and he'll be set.

Her face set into a determined expression, Juudai secured her sweater and left for town.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

It wasn't too chilly, but in the case Juudai did find a job and it took her to the later hours of the night, she was prepared. She could also pick up garbage as well; the recycling center was willing to pay a small fee for anyone who brought in trash.

A few minutes into the walk, Juudai approached the building where the bulletin board was kept. People always brought requests, and it was kept up to date daily. She was thankful for it; between schoolwork, work, and her hobbies she found time to work on this every few days.

Before the orangette could enter the building, a voice called out to her.

"Oh, Miss Naosoroshii!"

"How lovely to see you here, Miss Naosoroshii!" Mami greeted after Homura called out to her friend.

The orangette appeared to be on her way to the local job center. Mami is familiar with the place herself, and with a thoughtful frown she wondered the purpose for Juudai heading there.

But it was a question for another time, and the frown slipped off her face as Juudai turned to face them. "Hi there. Miss Tomoe, right?"

"Yes, that's right. Were we interrupting something?"

"Not really." Juudai's gaze slipped towards Homura. "Miss Akemi, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, Miss Naosoroshii." Homura was the first one to notice Juudai, and immediately headed towards her once she captured her attention.

Mami, Madoka, and Sayaka followed after her once they noticed what, or rather who had caught her attention. Madoka stepped beside Mami, hands clasped in front of her as she addressed Juudai and passed her a greeting as well. Sayaka stayed behind, only acknowledging her with a rough greeting at Madoka's insistence.

When they fell into another lapse of silence, Mami spoke again. "Miss Naosoroshii, if you are not busy, would you like to come with us to my apartment? I'd like to have a word with all of you."

With her declaration in the air, Juudai stared at her in wonder. When she turned to Homura, the raven nodded her head slightly. Another second and Juudai gave her response. Mami smiled when Juudai joined their little group. The five of them began their trek to Mami's home.

"So Miss Nao, how did you meet Miss Akemi?" Madoka blurted out.

Mami barely resisted the urge to giggle; the pinklette was such a friendly individual and Mami adored her for it.

"M-miss Kaname!" Her behavior certainly left Homura sputtering.

"Well, it's an incredible story, one that might leave you wondering what exactly happened…" Juudai starts before her lips equip a small smirk. "But to give the short version of it, one of my friends just kind of ran into her and the three of us hit it off real well. Which reminds me…?" The group stops as Juudai takes the time to bow to them graciously. "Thank you for taking care of Miss Akemi."

"Oh. No problem." Madoka responded first. "We're happy to. Miss Akemi is really nice, isn't that right, Sayaka?"

The blunette was put on the spot, anyone can tell by her widen blue eyes and the way she looked at the pinklette as if she just asked for a million dollars. "Well, I – yes, she's all right." She grumbled in the end.

The attitude left Mami wondering what Sayaka could be thinking but she decided it was a question to ask for another time. In the meantime, she had guests to attend to and she would be damned if she was considered an improper host. Her apartment lingered in the distance within sight, and she announced as such.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mami Tomoe's Apartment ~

The building was a tall one, frequented by groups of other young patrons she noticed after a day of people watching; apparently the building accepted students as leases as a way to prepare them for the future when they wished to head against the world alone. In Mami's case, she was already one step ahead of the others.

Today would be the first time in a while that she'd have guest over her little part of the complex. Mami showed her proof of residence to the security guard on duty and then signaled the girls to take the elevator further down the room. Her section of the building was located halfway through the levels of it, the elevator ride lasting for no more than a minute since it stopped for no one.

"All right, we're here," Mami announced holding the door open for the other four girls to step inside. "Make yourself at home."

Her apartment was as it always was. Not a single plushie was out of place, her drawer was in order, and just the day before she managed to bake two chocolate cakes. The smell of the pastry still hung in the air.

"It smells so good here!" Sayaka commented after removing her shoes, padding through the room in her socks. "It smells really sweet!"

"I'll have some treats out and ready for you all in just a bit." Mami responded.

As the other girls settled in around the table, Mami pulled the cake out, cutting it up into individual pieces and setting them up in plates. The tea finished making by the time she started picking up the silverware.

Her guests partook of her cake as soon as she set them down. A series of humming immediately followed as they took their first bites.

"Hmm~ This is so tasty, Tomoe-san!"

"You're a really good baker~!"

"The tea's really good."

"I wonder what the recipe for this is…"

"This is really good…~"

"I'm glad you all enjoy it," Mami giggled at their reactions. It always pleases her when her guests, as few as they have been, enjoy her treats. "If you'd like more, help yourself."

A scurry of movements alerted Mami to the presence of one other person in the room. "_Mami, did you leave some for me?_" Kyubey jumped to the surface of the table next to Juudai, gazing towards Mami.

"Of course, Kyubey." Mami pushed an extra plate by her side towards the bunny-like creature. He quickly scampered towards it and began devouring the cake.

When most of the girls finished and set their plates aside, Mami made sure to catch all of their eyes. "All right. Enough stalling. I'm here to clarify a few things which happened today. Personally, I rather not involve any of you, but Kyubey has acknowledged the four of you in having potential in becoming magical girls."

She was met with a nervous silence which Sayaka broke by asking, "A magical girl as in what you were earlier, right?"

"Yes, that is correct. The fact you are able to see Kyubey and thus commune with him is another sign of your potential."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"_Normal humans can't see me_." Kyubey responded. "_At the very least, not without my letting them. However, there are humans, such as everyone in this room, who are able to see beyond the illusion I set. Not just anyone can see me, just like I can't communicate with just anyone._"

"Otherwise, you're normally invisible?" Juudai asked.

Mami noticed Juudai was staring rather intensely at Kyubey, her hand twitching quite a bit.

"_Yes, precisely. Either way, I can always tell when there is a candidate nearby, so I knew there were girls present who can make a contract with me_."

"Kyubey," Mami started, suspicion entering her tone, "Were you purposely searching for more girls in the mall to turn? I understand the statement in there being strength in numbers, but I'm the resident magical girl in Mitakihara. You would have at least let me know first if you were intending to do that."

"_I will admit I was drawn to the mall because I sensed a huge amount of magical energy coming from there. However, I did not find the time to pursue that energy since I wound up being preoccupied. Madoka and Sayaka can explain to you_."

At that, Sayaka huffs, chin falling to her perched hand, and Madoka started looking a bit nervous. Mami sent them a questioning look to encourage their response.

"W-well, Sayaka and I were spending time in the mall hanging out." Madoka started. "She was searching for something, and while in the store with her, I heard Kyubey's voice. He was calling out for help, calling out for me."

"_At the time, I was being pursued by the other magical girl, the one who's been giving you trouble for the last few days._"

"Ah, yes, the mysterious magical girl." Mami hummed, taking a sip from her plate before leveling a look on Madoka, her eyes grateful. "Again, Miss Kaname, I must extend my gratitude for saving Kyubey. He's a dear friend of mine."

"You're welcome."

"Who the hell was that girl, anyway?" Sayaka snapped with a glare. "We see her during school watching Madoka like a creeper, and then she attacks her!" Her fists slam against the table in her rage.

"Hold on a moment; you are saying this girl has been following you." It would be an understatement to say Mami was alarmed. "How long has it been?"

"Oh, we had just seen her today!" Madoka responded with a nervous tilt to her voice. "I don't know why she always glares at me, but she's only spoken to me. She has done nothing wrong!"

"Yeah, that's what always happens before you find out the person is a total psycho!" Sayaka interjects.

"I'm afraid I must agree with Miss Miki, Miss Kaname." Mami didn't even know where to begin and explain. "This is a serious case. You aren't just dealing with a regular stalker. This girl has magical powers that would render the officials of Mitakihara obsolete. She can turn violent whenever she desires."

"Excuse me." All eyes in the room turned to look at Homura. The raven caved into herself at all the attention. "M-my apologies, but I'm a bit lost here."

Mami didn't reply right away, as she quickly took notice of the way Sayaka was glaring at Homura. When Mami took another moment to study Homura's profile, she thought she understood why. "Well, the root of the matter is that Kyubey wants the four of you to become magical girls like me. However, I believe you'll understand things better if he explains rather than me."

Kyubey pads over to the center of the table and gets comfortable, looking at each of the girls once before settling his gaze on Madoka first. "_As I mentioned earlier, I would like to make a contract with you. In order to do so, I will have to grant you one wish, any wish of your desire_."

"A wish…?" Homura whispered. Her gaze fell to her lap afterwards.

"_Yes, exactly. Once I fulfill your wish, the contract will be made, and you will be converted into a magical girl!_"

"I think I'll take over here." Mami interjects. "While I'm sure Kyubey can describe it just fine, I must let you know the consequences of entering a contract with Kyubey." She looked at each of the girls one more time before going on. "What you saw me fighting earlier today were the minions of a witch."

"A witch?" The skeptical look on Juudai's face irked Mami a bit, but it was to be expected.

"They're our natural enemies, hiding beyond human perception. They feed off of our negative energy, luring wayward people into their labyrinths. People are their prey, and it's our duty to protect humans from the witches. That will be your task as well should you choose to make a wish."

Mami let the seriousness of her declaration fall on the girls, carefully watching each of their expressions. Madoka and Homura both looked scared, Juudai's face remained expressionless, if only with the slightly hint of skepticism.

Of the four, Sayaka was the one to burst with the question, "What do they want with people?"

"_Devour them. In doing so, the witch becomes more powerful. It'll be able to extend its labyrinth's reach, and be able to take more victims_." Kyubey took another bite from his plate before continuing. "_It goes without saying you don't want that to happen. A witch's sentient ability is limited if it's newly born, but the further it manages to develop its powers, the more of a threat it can become._"

"Precisely. A magical girl's job isn't easy. Know that death is a possibility if you decide to make a wish." Mami needed them to be aware of the risks; it'd kill her if they involve themselves and end up losing their lives too soon.

"Aw, man. That sucks," Sayaka moaned, her head falling towards the table. "In knowing that puts a lot of pressure on the whole wish thing."

"It's only natural." Juudai spoke up, her amber eyes falling on Kyubey. "You said you'd grant any wish we want, correct?"

"_I did._"

"Then of course there'd be a heavy price to pay." Juudai gave a sigh before slumping forward.

"Miss Naosoroshii?" Homura inquired.

Juudai shook her head. "I'm fine, Miss Akemi. Just thinking."

"It is kind of a lot to take in." Madoka chimed in, her face scrunched up uncertainly. "I mean, of all the people out there, why us? Why do we have this opportunity?"

"_I don't know. You just do, and Madoka, you have a lot of potential of becoming a very powerful magical girl!_"

"Eh?"

"Kyubey… Stop. I don't want them to feel obligated. Nonetheless," Mami's scolding tone turned into a gentle one, "I must admit. I am relieved to see other girls like me. I'd rather you not become involved in all this, but should you choose to make a contract, you'd be a magical girl of Mitakihara along with me."

Mami's face broke out into a brilliant smile, her chest blossoming with the joy she felt at the prospect. She should feel guilt where she feels joy.

"The idea sounds _wonderful_~" Madoka insisted, the concern retreating from the quiet excitement. "Saving people from monsters like you did for us today; I'd like to be the kind of person who can protect others."

"Yeah, you got to admit it sounds pretty awesome," Sayaka added with a huge grin. "I'm still kind of uneasy about it, but damn if it doesn't sound interesting."

"Y-yes, it does sound like something out of a fairy tale…" Homura whispered.

"Well, I'm not interested." Juudai flat out declared.

"Miss Naosoroshii?"

"It'd be hypocritical of me to say I don't believe you after what I've witnessed, but it sounds like a pretty shady deal to me. Why should I deal with a problem that isn't mine?"

The resounding slam of a hand on the table made everyone except Juudai jump. Sayaka glared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?! If we have the power, we should defend other people!"

"What's your problem?" Juudai aims a glare at Sayaka. "You are not responsible for my actions any less as I am to yours. If you want to do something about it, be my guest but I'm staying out of it." Juudai moves to stand up, casting her gaze on Mami. "Thank you for the treats. I'll be taking my leave."

"That's fine."

Juudai nods, and then turns to look at Homura. "Miss Akemi, if you wish to do something about this, I won't be as hypocritical as to influence your choice by my opinions. Nor will I look at you differently for whatever decision you chose. Will you be able to get home safely on your own?"

"Oh, yes, I can, Miss Naosoroshii."

"All right then." Juudai offers a small smile. "I'll go now. Miss Kaname, thank you for taking care of Miss Akemi. Good-bye, Miss Miki." Juudai practically bit the words out; Sayaka scoffed, rolled her eyes and looked the other way.

Lastly, Juudai turned to look at Kyubey. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to say no thank you."

"_Understandable. If you ever change your mind, though, come and find me._"

"Unlikely. But, thanks for the offer." Juudai smiled and left the apartment.

As soon as the door shut close, Sayaka's rage came bursting forth. "Geez! What the hell is her problem?! She saw those monsters! We all saw them, and she still insists on facing the other way?!"

"Quite frankly, I don't blame her." Mami calmly finished her tea as everyone else in the room focused on her. "This is a dangerous decision you'll be making if you decide to take up Kyubey on his offer. Don't fault her for choosing to turn down this offer."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

Amai was pissed. She had every reason to be considering not just one of her friends, but both of her best friends bailed on her on hanging out today. In the case of Juudai, it wasn't the first time she abandoned her; last night, she wasn't at the restaurant during her break and the little brat Xavier wouldn't even peep about where she was. He would only respond some bull crap about him not knowing because 'he was just a kid'.

A true fact about life: Juudai NEVER misses out on work. The fact she skipped out yesterday, for Amai, was a cause to sound the alarms. Amai could only think of one reason she would leave, and that involves something happening to Xavier. Not only was the little boy resting calmly at home, she recalls but Juudai didn't say a word to any of her parents.

Sus~picious.

Her only clue was to check out the general vicinity. Juudai rarely strays too far from the restaurant especially if she knows that she's working. Although Amai couldn't be too sure, Juudai had to be close by.

The search went on for well over an hour as Amai searched through Juudai's usual haunts: the park in the middle of the city, the toy store, the camping grounds, and the park by the river. (Actually, now that she really thought about it, these were Xavier's favorite places to go.) The brunette didn't start to make real progress until she made it to the last place on her checklist.

"Oh, good. I was starting to get hungry." Amai heaved a sigh in front of the Cake Metropolis.

Juudai didn't really have much of a sweet tooth, but this restaurant happens to be one of the few which successfully turned Juudai into a fan of their treats. The Cake Metropolis also happened to be the favorite (Well, second favorite) restaurant of her dear friend. Amai herself had never stepped foot into the place, though Juudai had promised her to take her here before; the brunette has a hard time visiting the location of her parent's competitions.

However, the thought occurred to her she might be able to run into her dear friend here. A hunch, but it was something to go by, and it was all Amai had at the moment in finding either Juudai or her childhood friend.

The Cake Metropolis was well on its way to receiving a good review from her; the doors are automated, swishing open as she drew near the entrance. The cool blast of air conditioner hit her square in the face, and she smiled as the heat of the sun rolled off of her. The host greeted Amai, and a nearby waiter took over in leading her to a seat. He left her with a menu and a task in bringing her back a tall glass of milk.

Her green eyes shift through the menu. "Aw, man, so many choices… What am I going to choose…?" The brunette grumbled under her breath a while longer, indecision clawing through her. She didn't realize someone was next to her until the seat shifted with the person's weight.

"Uh, listen, dude. I asked you to go get my order. That was no way a secret invitation for you to flirt with me." Amai kept her gaze on the menu as she spoke, but when the other person made no movement to get off the booth, she growled and turned to glare at them.

The glare melted in place as she looked the other girl next to her in the eye. The girl blinked, her head twitching to the side slightly as she returned the look.

Amai's mouth laid agape. "Uh, ah, I'm so sorry, little one. I didn't see your there."

Inside, Amai was squealing at the adorableness of the girl. Her eyes shifted from left to right, wondering where the girl's family is and if they were looking for her. "Did you come here to eat cake?" She asked for lack of anything better to do.

The little girl nodded her head. "I like cheesecake." She announced in the most precious voice Amai's heard since Xavier.

Amai couldn't prevent cooing slightly before getting a hold of herself. If the cuteness continued, she'd be grabbing those hair buns and squeezing them.

"Aw, you're precious~ But you should get back to your parents before they worry about you."

"My parents are dead."

Amai shut her mouth, her heart falling to her stomach. "I'm so sorry-"

"You're like me."

For a second time, Amai's mouth froze again, wide eyes staring at the girl in confusion. The lilac headed girl continued speaking. "You have the potential of becoming a magical girl. Yes, you do."


	3. Chapter 3: What's in a wish?

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 3: What's in a Wish? ~

~ Mitakihara Middle School: 8th Grade Classroom ~

Madoka greeted Homura as the raven made her way into the classroom. Homura blushed, lowering her head and practically sprinting towards her seat, near tripping. Some of their classmates caught her clumsiness and laughed at her expanse, deepening her blush as she made to sit down.

"Wow. If only she ran that fast during track." Sayaka droned, watching Homura from the top of her eyes.

"Sayaka, that's mean." Madoka's face morphed into a mix of slight anger and concern. "Why have you been so mean to Miss Akemi recently? She hasn't done anything wrong to you!"

Sayaka bit her lower lip, looking away. "I'm sorry. I've been a little stressed out lately, and this whole magical girl thing isn't helping."

Madoka's gaze fell. "Ah, I guess you're right. This is a little nerve wrecking. Me, the defender of Mitakihara? Can you imagine that?"

"No way, Madoka!" Sayaka practically screamed those words, and the kids surrounding them turned to give her strange looks.

The blunette's face reddens and she fell back in her seat to make herself look small. She stares at Madoka intensively. "Madoka, what are you thinking? I'm sure you'll make a great magical girl! I mean, yeah, this all sounds scary but we'd be heroes fighting for justice! To protect other people! Isn't that amazing?"

"Yeah, it sure is." Madoka looked back up, smiling when a happy look finally appeared on Sayaka's face. "I guess this means you decided on what wish to make then?"

"Y-yeah, kind of… It's probably stupid, but after what happened yesterday," Sayaka grit the last words through her teeth as a scowl momentarily appeared, "I've made up my mind. I'm going to be a magical girl. I'm going to help Mami protect the city."

"Okay, then." Madoka fell into silence for lack of anything else to say on the matter.

Or rather, she felt unsure on how to bring it up. The pinklette had no problem imagining Sayaka as an able magical girl, but when she tried to think of herself, her mind freezes. Her heart begins to thud and her face turns red.

Several questions appeared in her mind: How would she look like as a magical girl? Will she really have magical powers? Does she need a superhero name? Would she still be the same dull, old Madoka after she made her wish?

Madoka didn't know what her wish would be about, either. She tried to think about a deep, desperate desire of her own, but she comes up with nothing. Then her mind filters to the conversation she had with her mother that morning.

_-This Morning-_

"_Hey, Mom, if you could wish for anything, just one wish, what would you wish for?" Madoka tentatively asked the question, her eyes never leaving Kyubey as he bathed in the corner of the sink._

"_I'll kick that old man out of his position in the CEO."_

_Madoka looked at her mother disbelieving as the older woman continued to apply her foundation with a small, devious smile. "Hmm, there's also the board of directors as well. It's full of incompetent idiots I'll be more than happy to kick out of the company. Yeah, that could work..."_

"_Um, Mom..."_

"_All the things I could possibly do..." Her mother didn't hear her, finishing the final touches of her makeup and gathering her belongings together as she turned around and left Madoka in the washroom._

_-Presently-_

She'd suppose she could make a wish for her mother. If it was someone, someone Madoka really cared about... she'd have no trouble making a wish for them. Her mother is one person. There was also her father. Her little brother? Well, she wasn't sure if he had a wish, but he's still a candidate of someone she cares for.

Madoka's head hit her desk with a thud. '_Thinking of a wish is harder than I thought..._'

'_You don't have to come up with one right away, Madoka._'

Madoka lifted her head to look at Kyubey. The little critter had come with her to school, riding on her shoulder all the way with no one the wiser to its presence. '_Take your time. There's no rush._'

'_Ugh, I know people here can't see him, but it still feels weird just seeing him there next to you, Madoka._' Sayaka's thoughts flowed into her mind.

'_It's rather convenient, isn't it?_' Madoka jumped at the third voice.

'_...Mami?_'

The older girl laughed – a sound unusual but not unwelcome in this strange act. '_Yes. Kyubey's reach goes quite far. I may be in the other side of the school but we can still communicate as if we were right next to each other._'

'_Now that's cool._' Sayaka supplied with a grin.

'_Homura? Do you have nothing to add to this?_' Mami asked the other magical girl candidate.

The girl in question wasn't expecting to be called out. A small noise of surprise slipped past her lips, drawing the attention of the students closest to her.

Homura looked down at her desk, unsure on how to respond. '_Um... I do think this is interesting... it's sort of... like a meeting between super heroes... or something._'

Sayaka burst out laughing from her seat. Mami smiled from across the school. Madoka turned around and gave Homura a smile. The raven returned the smile with a shy one of her own.

Next to her, Madoka saw movement. Turning to look, Madoka's smile fell when she saw Hitomi turn her face away from her. '_Oh no, she's still upset..._'

_-Before School-_

"_Good morning, Madoka!" Sayaka turned around to greet Madoka as the girl came running down the street._

_The two of them always met up at this time in the morning while heading for school._

"_Good morning, Sayaka," Hitomi called._

_Hitomi was the meaning of elegance and grace for Madoka. Her friend came from a fairly well off family, and Madoka knew Hitomi's mother paid for her daughter to attend lessons to further her composure._

_With a smile Madoka waved. "Good morning everyone!"_

_'_Good morning, Sayaka,_' Kyubey called._

"_What the heck?!" Sayaka jumped when she noticed Kyubey on Madoka's shoulder. She lifted a finger to hesitantly point at the creature before running past Hitomi to stop next to Madoka. She whispered in a panicked tone. "Why is _that_ here?!"_

_'Oh, don't worry, Sayaka. Your friend can't see me.' Kyubey reassured._

"_He's right; this morning he was in the washroom with me while Mom and I freshen up for the day and she didn't see him." Madoka added._

"_I-Is that so...?" Sayaka didn't look so certain._

_Their attention remained on each other, and so neither one realized one more person drawing closer._

"_What's with all the whispering?" Both girls whipped their heads around to face Hitomi. The greenlette's eyes were wide. "Have... the two of you managed to get so close in such a short time?"_

"_What- what are you talking about, Hitomi?!"_

"_The two of you understand each other so intimately after just one night... Could this be...?" Hitomi pauses for a moment, her eyes getting wider still. "FORBIDDEN LOVE?!"_

_Madoka's shock was so great, her mouth remained agape._

"_Hitomi, you got it all wrong-" Sayaka attempted to fix this misunderstanding._

"_Girls can't love girls... girls can't love girls!" Hitomi dashed away from Sayaka and Madoka, chanting those words, leaving her school bag behind._

_-Presently-_

"H-Hey, Hitomi-chan... Are you doing anything special after school?" Madoka asked after homeroom.

The greenlette remained silent as she gathered her belongings. "Yes, I am occupied after school."

"Hey, Madoka!" Sayaka ran up to her. She spared a glance to Hitomi. "Um, Hitomi..."

"No, no! I understand! You want to spend some time with Madoka-chan. I guess it's true what they say; that two's company and three's a crowd!" Hitomi went running with tears in her eyes, wailing all the way out and leaving Madoka and Sayaka at utter lack for words.

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: Courtyard ~

This part of the school was a bit quieter than the rest, which made Homura a little nervous. Juudai and Amai went to the same school, but Amai was an upper classmate like Mami and Juudai was an under classmate.

Homura was a little surprised to learn the mature girl was younger than her.

Just moving around, however, was exhausting. With the discovery of witches and magical girls, Homura has had a little difficulty sleeping at night. The encounter with the witch left fear in her heart. Homura had yet to tell anyone – not even Juudai who had been with her – but the time she stayed in the witch's labyrinth, she remembered thinking...

**How useless she was.**

**No one would even miss her.**

**She was a waste of space.**

Homura gasped and leaned against the closest wall to draw her breathe. After the experience she attempted to forget all about it, but all she succeeded in doing was burying it lightly under the discoveries that followed the encounter.

A part of Homura feels awful at not confining in her friends. At least Juudai... for all Homura knows, Juudai probably experienced the same thing. How was Homura to know if she didn't talk?

Amai was out of the question. She didn't go through any of that horror, and Homura wouldn't wish it on anyone.

'_Maybe Madoka...__'_ Homura felt a blush overtake her face. '_I... I can't! How could I approach Madoka-chan?!_'

Miki Sayaka was also out of the question. Homura didn't know the reason but Sayaka didn't like her at all.

'_Wait... I know... Tomoe-san_.' Yes, why didn't she think of it sooner? Of course Mami would know what she is going through, being a magical girl and hunting witches for so long.

Homura decided; she'll go see Amai first since it's been a long while and then she'll pay a visit to Mami.

She stepped away from the wall and continued walking forward. Homura approached the hall leading to the third year building.

As she passed a set of stairs, a flicker of movement at the corner of her right caught her attention. "What..."

Long black hair whipped around, the person walking up the darkest of the stairs.

For some unexplained reason, Homura felt the urge to follow the person. Almost as if they were calling for her... She took a step forward, hesitantly before her pace slowly picked up. By the end of the steps, her heart raced, and her breathe came in quick gasps.

Homura caught her breathe, looking around for the person on the roof with her. When she finally spotted them, her mouth fell open. "You're..."

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: 8th Grade Hallway ~

"Hitomi, don't be like that! It's not like that!" Sayaka was getting a little fed up, not only because her friend was being unreasonable but because she couldn't figure out a way for Hitomi to listen.

"No, no, it's fine!" Hitomi said a little too quickly, hands waving in front of her. "I have lessons to go to anyway, so this way I won't interfere!"

"Hitomi-chan, it really isn't like that!" Madoka stepped in. She swept in to take Hitomi into a hug. "We're just friends, and we wouldn't leave you alone like that. The last few days something unexpected happened and it drew our attention away, but everything's all right. We won't leave you alone."

Hitomi sniffed, tears appearing in her eyes.

Sayaka took over from there. "You sure you gotta go to those lessons? We can hang out for a little bit and have crepes."

Hitomi sniffed once more and nodded.

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: Roof ~

"Hitomi-chan was really upset, wasn't she?" Sayaka idly said. She and Madoka were at the roof, enjoying the gentle breeze of the day.

"Yeah. We'll have to take care to hang out with her some more." Madoka looked up to the sky. "With everything happening recently, we really haven't hung out as much."

The two settled into silence.

Madoka brought up something from earlier. "Have you come up with anything to make as a wish?"

"Hmm, not really. Hey, Kyubey, what would other girls wish for?"

'_Hmm, it depends. Everyone had their own desires, goals and the like to achieve. There were some similar ones; people would sometimes make a wish to help others of significance. Others made wishes to gain power or specific wishes for personal gains or means.__'_

"Oh, is that so?" Madoka thought about her mother and earlier mulling.

'_One things for sure; you girls are the first ones I've encountered in a while who've had trouble deciding on their wish.__'_

"It's not easy... coming up with something you're willing to risk your life for." Sayaka leaned back on her seat with a sigh. "I guess that just shows how sheltered we are that we can't even think of anything we'd want to wish for."

Madoka hummed. "I didn't think it would be so difficult to find something I'd want."

"I wonder what Mami's wish...was?" Sayaka muttered.

'_You can ask her right now, if you want to.__'_

"I don't know... As convenient as it is communicating like this, it feels kind of... rude asking her such a question like that."

"We can wait after we hang out with Hitomi." Madoka closed her eyes as she gathered her thoughts. _'Tomoe-san, Sayaka and I will be hanging out with a friend after school. But once we're done, can we begin our practice?__'_

'_Yes, that sounds fine._' Mami's smile can be felt even in the distance. _'__I have a few errands to attend to after class, anyway, so take your time. I'll alert Kyubey when I am done and where I would like us to meet up.'_

'_Okay. Thank you so much, Tomoe-san!'_

'_You're welcome, Madoka-chan._'

"Did you hear that, Sayaka?"

When her friend didn't answer right away, her eyes shifted to the blunette. Instead of sitting on her seat, Sayaka towered over Madoka, a glare aimed at the roof entrance.

Madoka turned to see the source of Sayaka's ire, eyes widening in the process.

Standing at the threshold of the entrance, a girl with long dark hair stares impassively at the fierce look Sayaka leveled at her. For a moment, Madoka thought the girl at the entrance lowered her gaze to look at the pinklette.

Madoka flinched, feeling quite unnerved by the look.

Sayaka took a step forward, purposefully putting herself in front of Madoka. "You're the one I saw at the mall. Kyubey nearly died because of you!"

As if reacting to the call of its name, Kyubey hoped off of Madoka's shoulder to stand behind her. '_Yeah, that's her. She was chasing me that day at the mall!_'

"You thought I didn't notice you, did you?!" Sayaka took an aggressive step forward. "Think I'm gonna let you hurt Madoka like you did Kyubey! I'd like to see you try!"

The other girl remained quiet, instead taking a slow step forward. Even with Sayaka before her, Madoka struggled not to take a step back. Something about the girl seriously left her body on edge... and yet, the force of will Madoka used to keep her body from scampering in the opposite direction urged her to stay and look at the girl.

To look at the straighten posture, of someone who had seen too many horrors in her short life. To the hands kept clenched tight into fists by her side. To meet those sad lavender eyes, glazed over with something Madoka could only describe as despair...

Madoka could only feel immeasurable tragedy from this long haired stranger, and despite something warning her to be wary, she truly wished she could take this girl into her arms. Such a strange sensation, and she felt odd thinking about it – because she had no idea where the thought came from, and why the urge was so strong.

The pinklette decided to take matters into her own hands; with the way things were going, Sayaka would end up starting a fight with this stranger rather than resolve things peacefully.

"Um, excuse me..." Madoka poked her head past Sayaka's protective form. "But are you a magical girl like Tomoe-san?"

A pause weighted over them for a moment before the stranger answered. "Yes, I am."

The dark haired stranger inclined her head to the side. "It seems the girl in question is vigilant."

When Madoka and Sayaka looked to the next building over, they could see – barely – Mami standing in front of a window on the top floor.

"She doesn't need to worry. I don't intend to fight, merely pass some advice." The long haired stranger took a breath. "Granted, I missed my chance to talk to you earlier. A minor complication that I turned my back to became a larger problem in the long run..."

"You're not making any sense!" Sayaka bellowed.

"You would be correct in that. Let me get to the point." As she spoke, the stranger moved closer to Madoka and Sayaka, stopping a few feet away from them. "Do the two of you value your family and friends?"

Madoka blinked, puzzled over the words.

Sayaka growled lowly. "I knew it...! You came to threaten us!"

"Answer the question." The tone in the stranger's voice told she's had enough of Sayaka's attitude. "You need to realize what is important in the long run if you even considered making a wish with that … thing." She spat the last word, aiming a glare at Kyubey. "Whatever you decide your wish will be, it has to balance out the gravity of his 'contract'. It's a consequence I can't let you bear with a conscience."

As she said her last statement, the stranger's lavender eyes landed on Madoka once again. The pinklette felt the faint impression the stranger aimed these words more on her than Sayaka.

"...Please, keep those words in mind if you ever fall to temptation." With that, the stranger turned and left the roof.

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: 9th Grade Hallway ~

Mami heaved a breath, watching as Sayaka practically scrambled around on the roof of the second year building. Madoka didn't move for a good bit before she followed Sayaka down the steps a little while later.

Stepping away from the window a bit, Mami mulled over the situation for a bit.

The new magical girl... Mami barely knew anything of her, except the obvious: she was a skilled magical girl, if the prowess she so far displayed in combat was anything to go by. She obviously knew Kyubey, and clearly had something against the critter. Reasons were unknown; perhaps her wish did not go as she planned...?

It was entirely possible.

Mami herself... she sighed. Days came when she regretted her wish. Being a magical girl, she would happily carry on her shoulders, but if only her wish was a little different...

She sighed again, her gaze aimed skyward being the school windows. The past remains unchanged; she could only look forward, especially with three magical girl hopefuls. The thought of them brought a bright smile, with an edge of sadness.

So lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the shout further down the halls. The person made a commotion as they tried to push their way to the crowd towards Mami.

When she turned to look, Mami's eyes widen.

"Hey, Maria! It's you!" A familiar brunette stood in the middle of the hall, the largest of grins on her face. "It's me! Amai!"

Her heart dropped to her stomach. Of course, Mami knew this girl.

In fact, ever since becoming a magical girl, when she made the decision to enter this school, it had been her goal to avoid this girl at all cost. She cursed her inattentiveness before breaking into a full run down the hall.

"Hey, wait, Maria!" Amai dashed after the blonde, heart thumping as she tried to keep up. "Don't run away from me! I finally saw you again after all this time...!"

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: Courtyard ~

The school bell rang once more before stopping for the day. Juudai heaved a sigh, picking up her bag as she mentally went through her to-do list for today.

"Where the heck is Amai...?" The orangette mumbled under her breathe as she waited for her friend outside the school building.

Students kept walking past her but she saw no sign of her friend.

Juudai stepped away from the wall she leaned against and took off walking. It was possible Amai got distracted with something; it wasn't unusual. The girl would often talk to (read: harass) other girls, so Juudai guessed it wouldn't be unlikely if she got distracted by someone and lost track of time.

She didn't make it far before she did find someone – although the person wasn't Amai. "Homy?"

The shy raven nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her name being called, turning around and revealing wide lavender eyes. "J-Juudai-chan?"

One of Juudai's brows went up at that. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Y-yes." Homura took one look at Juudai's face and quickly realized her friend wouldn't take that as an appropriate response. "No... No, I'm not feeling well."

Taking a look at Homura's face, Juudai concluded the girl was fatigued. Since knowing Homura, Juudai quickly learned how often Homura would succumb to exhaustion; her body could not handle exertion as well as others. The cause of exhaustion could range from excessive activities to something taking her by surprise.

Judging by the paleness of her skin, along with her overall shaky body – even her eyes were shaking – something really upset her.

"Would you like me to walk you home, Homura?" Juudai asked softly.

Homura blinked, looking at Juudai as if she just realized her friend was standing there. "What? Oh, no, I couldn't ask that from you!"

"If that's the case, do you wish to go to the infirmary for a moment?"

"Um, well..."

"Homura, you look like you're about ready to collapse. If you don't want me to take you home, at least stay at the infirmary before they close for the day and rest for a little while. You look like you can use it."

"I..." Homura took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts for a little bit. "Yes. Yes, I would like that."

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: Infirmary ~

Homura and Juudai stayed in the infirmary in silence. At the nurse's and Juudai's insistence, Homura lied down on one of the infirmary beds, heaving a sigh as she got as comfortable as possible. When the nurse left, Juudai approached a desk, setting her backpack down and looking around inside.

"Juudai-chan, don't you have someplace to be after school?" Homura asked.

"Technically, yes, but friends come first." Juudai sent the bedridden girl a smile. "I was waiting for Amai, but she didn't show up at the designated time outside the school, so I went off looking for her. Found you instead. Will you be all right on your own?"

"I will. I just need to rest for a little bit. Today was tough."

"Looks like you went through a trek."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. Sometimes those days just happen. There isn't anything you want to talk about with me before I leave?"

Homura opened her mouth, but nothing came out for a little bit. She wanted to talk to someone, yes, but she wasn't completely sure if Juudai was the right choice. However, once she thought about it for a moment, she decided it was now or never.

"Juudai-chan, what do you do when you are upset?"

The question caught her a bit off guard, but it didn't take long for Juudai to come up with an answer. "I hang out with Xavier or Amai and her family."

"Is that so?"

"Mmhmm. Xavier is the only family I have left, my purpose so to speak. I... don't want to lose him. So I try my best every day for him. Amai, too. Her family helped me get through some tough times. I've lost count of how many times Amai has been there to support me. A bit hard to imagine, I'm sure but she can be supportive when she wants to be."

Homura giggled. "Yes, she certainly is."

"So that's it. It always feels great to hang out with friends or loved ones. If you ever need to talk about something or feeling down, contact us, Homura. We'll be there for you."

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"I'm sure of it. It sounded like you have something to do earlier. I don't want to be in the way of that."

"Well, I can just message Amai and tell her I'll meet up with her in the restaurant. Come to think about it, I should have done that instead of walking off from the school entrance. Although in this case, if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have found and helped you..." Juudai's words drifted off as she fished her cell phone from her bag. One press of the button, and she noticed she missed a message from the person in question. "Of course..."

"Did she say something?"

"Looks like she was one step ahead of me on the meet up… Something's come up and she can't make it. Well, what do you know?"

"I hope Amai-chan is all right."

"I'll send her a message and ask. I need to let her know about you, too."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

Her phone vibrated, catching Amai by surprise and making her jump in place. Ahead of her, Nagisa turned around and looked at her with a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?"

"I think that's Judy. Should've known she'd respond to me quickly..." The brunette pulled out her cell phone and took a look. "WHAT?!"

"What is it now?" Hanging out with her for the past twenty-four hours and little Nagisa was already used to her random outbursts.

"Little Homy collapsed! I NEED to know all the details!" Her fingers worked rapidly to tap the keys and form a return message for her friend. Amai was actually tapping her foot impatiently before she noticed Nagisa draw near.

"We have to go now. If you want to know more about Tomoe-san, we need to go..."

Amai nodded her head after a moment before following the little girl. She kept her phone in her hand for when Juudai would message her again, but in the meantime... "So how do you know Maria, anyway?"

"I thought her name was Mami."

"I guess that's her name." Amai shrugged. "I don't know…Maria fits her better. Then again, 'Mami' makes it sound like she's one hot mamasita, which she is. OR! Or, that she's a caring individual, like an actual mother! I remember this one time she kissed my knee when I fell on it."

"She sounds like a really sweet person."

"She is – but, uh, how do you know her, Nag-nag?"

"She saved my life." The way the little girl said it, along with the soft look plus smile on her face, left Amai smiling as well.

"I can believe it."

Amai's phone vibrated again and she went to take a look. "Okay, let's see. She's all right now... I found her when I went searching for you... Geez, I feel bad for walking out on Judy like that. I feel like I should have waited for her at least to tell her face-to-face why we couldn't hang out today."

"Would you have told her about the witches?"

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Amai shook her head. "Nah…I wouldn't want her knowing about that. I'm pretty sure she would believe me, but I don't want her getting into any trouble knowing about something like that."

"I see. You have a lot of trust in your friend."

"Of course I do. I've known her for nearly all my life. But she's already gone through so much. She and Xavier only have each other. I don't want to expose them to something like that. Besides, she's always taking care of me. I gotta show I can be responsible for once."

"...Amai-san?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have any interest in becoming a magical girl?"

"Like Mari- Mami? I don't know…can I be one?" Amai's eyes shone at the prospect.

Her eyes lost the shine when she realized Nagisa's face remain impassive. "Being a magical girl demands a lot from you. I don't think you should become one, but the suggestion is there."

"...Because Mami's a magical girl, right? Is that why she hasn't stop to see me? Cause she doesn't want any of us getting hurt, right?"

Nagisa nodded her head. "It's not easy, and it must have been a painful choice for her."

Amai didn't respond. Her attention went back to her phone, her fingers hovering over the keypad as she thought of a message to send back to Juudai. A thought occurred to her as she typed away. "So exactly why were you following Mami Dear, anyway, Nag-Nag?"

"I'm grateful to her." Nagisa responded after a while. She watched Amai curiously as she handled her phone. "Like I said, she saved my life, so I'm keeping a watch on the town. There are other magical girls aside from Tomoe-san, but many tend to be solitary due to the harsh experiences hunting witches bring. Tomoe-san is one of the stronger magical girls, plus the kindest in my opinion. I pledge my alliance to her, and I hope I can be of use to her if and when she needs me."

"I can admire that. I wouldn't mind helping Mami Dear out." Hands on either side of her face, Amai looked skyward as she envisioned it; her coming to Mami's rescue, picking the girl up bridal style and carrying her away from these witches or whatever else would endanger her friend.

"I still don't think you should follow me."

"Look, the deal was this: you were following Mami when you noticed the type of cheesecake I had." The mention of the dessert left Nagisa drooling. "Noted. I promised I feed you my family's cheesecakes if you'd tell me what you know about Mami and what she's been up to lately. Is it a fair deal or not?"

"Hmm, I suppose..."

"Then you gotta help me out! You can't tell me about magical girls and witches, and not expect me to ask about more. Especially considering Mami is involved with all of this somehow. So please, help me."

Instead of answering, Nagisa turned around, her eyes set in a harsh look as she stared beyond the horizon.

"Uh, Nagisa...?"

"Something's coming."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Café ~

Juudai left Homura after she received one last message on her phone. With a quick reminder that Homura can call on her when she needs help, Juudai left for work. Homura remained in bed, but she didn't go back to sleep. For thirty minutes, she laid there until she looked at the clock.

'_It's time._' She pushed the blankets off of her, gathered her belongings and headed for the door.

The night before, Tomoe Mami sent out a message declaring the girls would meet at a local café for magical girl training. Homura was still uncertain if she wanted to make a wish and take the plunge, but she will admit that she had one particular wish in mind.

All that remained was the push...

But her reluctance was understandable, she supposed. Homura would have to spend the rest of her life – most likely – fighting those horrendous creatures. And after her first encounter... she gulped.

'_But Madoka-chan..._' Her thoughts drifted to the pinklette, and anxiety replaced her dread, along with something else.

Today revealed a lot of truths she had not been prepared to accept, and the more she thought of it the more she began to notice the already large magical girl proposition was greater than it already seemed to be.

The café loomed closer, and Homura steeled herself for what awaited her inside.

"Homura-chan!" Mami called out to her, hand waving her towards their table.

Madoka and Sayaka were already there. All three had drinks, and Sayaka also had a small pack of fries as well. Madoka waved at her with a brilliant smile; Sayaka, however, simply acknowledged her with a glance before promptly turning her head away.

Mami offered Homura a warm smile. "I'm glad you could make it as well. Will Juudai-chan be able to make it?"

"No, she won't. She told me to pass you that message."

"Seriously, the least she could have done was message Mami back." Sayaka grumbled under her breath.

Homura opened her mouth to reply, but Mami beat her to it. "The fact she didn't reply meant she wasn't interested. Don't worry, Sayaka-chan. We'll start now that everyone else is here." Homura took a seat, and Mami continued. "First off, would you like anything to drink, Homura?"

"Maybe some water." They waited while Mami went to get her drink. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now, we'll soon start your magical girl experience."

From Madoka's lap hopped Kyubey. "_Mami asked me to hold off on the contracts until you've had your experience. She wants you to see first-hand how it's like to fight witches before you decide on making a wish. I feel it would make more sense if you make a wish first, but Mami wants to give you a chance to think about it carefully before committing. See if this is something you wish to dedicate yourself to, if your wish is worth the price._"

Homura began to tremble in her seat.

Madoka looked just as nervous.

Sayaka puffed out her chest.

"Ha! I'm ready for this!" The blunette reached to her side. "I even brought this along!" Sayaka pulled a bat out, holding it out on the table. "Will this work for self-defense?"

Mami giggled. "Well, I wasn't expecting you to fight anything, but I suppose if the situation gets dicey, it'll come in handy."

"Yes!" Sayaka pumped a fist in the air. "What about you, Madoka? Did you bring anything?"

"Um..." Madoka pulled out a sketchbook. Upon closer inspection, the other girls saw sketches of Madoka wearing what appeared to be a magical girl outfit. "This is it..."

"Pfft!" Sayaka and Mami tried to restrain their laughs. Homura couldn't prevent a giggle escaping, slapping a hand onto her mouth to cover it. "That's so cool!"

"You're just saying that!" Madoka cried. "You're laughing, too, Homura-chan!"

"I'm sorry, Kaname-san!"

"Well, now that we've seen what Madoka-chan brought, how about you, Homura-chan?" Mami asked after she gathered her composure.

"I..." Homura dug into her bag, pulling out one of the gifts Amai gave to her.

"Whoa, a stun gun..." Sayaka stared at the object in surprise.

"Impressive." Mami nodded her head. "All right. With the exception of Madoka, everyone here has something to use for self-defense. I can go out on the field with a little piece of mind." Mami rose from her seat. "All right, everyone. Let's go. We have a witch to find."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Abandoned Construction Site ~

Nagisa stopped in front of a construction site building, seemingly abandoned by the looks of it.

Amai rushed to catch up to her, breathing heavily from behind her. "Geez, you're surprisingly fast for a little thing!" She looked up at the building, and whistled lowly. "This place sure has seen better days. So why did you stop in front of it?"

The air started to feel heavy, rippling slightly.

When Amai looked around, a thought occurred to her. "Isn't this place lacking in people?"

Nagisa gulped, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. "I think we just walked into the witch's territory."


	4. Chapter 4: Witch Hunt & Reunion

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 4: Witch Hunt &amp; Reunion ~

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

"Take a look at this," Mami announced when the four of them – and Kyubey – arrived to their destination. Madoka, Homura, and Sayaka leaned forward to take a look.

"Is that a rock? Like a gemstone?" Sayaka asked.

"Close. We referred to this as a Soul Gem." Mami gestured to the stone hanging on the chain she held. "It's the source of our power, given to us when we convert into magical girls. It has a second function as well; that is, we can use it to track down witches."

"Wow, amazing!"

'_Indeed, Madoka._' Kyubey chimed in. '_It can keep track of the energy signature of a witch. For example, like a few days ago: the familiar that attacked you is a minion of witch. The soul gem can use that energy to locate the witch, since it is the source of the familiar's origins._'

"So... how does it do it?" Sayaka spoke up again.

'_The soul gem will start reacting when we are close to the witch._'

"Oh, is that it?" Homura responded. "I thought you would have to cast like a spell or something, to draw out the witch or to follow it."

"Yeah, for once I have to agree with her." Sayaka gazed at the dark haired girl from the side. "I thought witch tracking would be a bit more interesting than that."

"Hmm, as far as I'm concerned, this is the most basic way to find a witch." Mami casted a questioning look towards Kyubey for confirmation. "Technically, I could cast a spell and find a witch, however, there's a reason I would advise against that which I'll explain later. For now, though..."

The moment her words drifted off, the soul gem began to glow gold. The three magical girl trainees leaned in to look in awe.

_'There! A reaction.'_

"And from the feel of it, it could be the witch who released that familiar onto you the other day. We'll be able to track this witch down, and liberate the city of one less evil." Mami finished with a smile.

"So what's the plan?" Sayaka asked.

"The plan as of right now is to infiltrate the witch's labyrinth. A witch isn't easy prey. They hide themselves in a space of their own which is dubbed a labyrinth. From deep within the maze, the witch lures its prey, dooming them to being lost in the depths."

"How horrifying..." Madoka whispered.

"Is that what happened last time for us?" Homura interjected. "The witch... err, the familiar lured us into a maze-like space?"

"Yes. Witches and their underlings to an extent can develop a maze of sorts to confuse and trap their targets."

"So then a familiar also helps to feed the witch?"

'_Yes, and in some cases, no._' Kyubey interjected. '_A witch can have many underlings; it's all dependent on their level of power. Familiars are generally stronger variants of those servants, able to think on its own to some degree without needing the witch to input its influence. However, there are times when a familiar also gains enough strength to become independent._'

"Do you think the familiar from the other day was independent?" Sayaka asked.

"Unlikely. It may sound like I'm bragging," Mami smiled and winked nonetheless, "but the level of strength I felt from it, along with how easily I dispatched it, makes me think otherwise. Still, it is a possibility for familiars to leave the witch and go out on its own. If left alone long enough, a familiar can even turn into a witch."

Sayaka's face adopted a look of horror. "Yikes. Good thing you took care of the one from before, huh?"

'_The extensions of a witch can be just as dangerous as the witch itself. Still, we can't forget the true threat.'_

"Don't worry, Kyubey." Mami petted the little creature on its head._ "_I'll make sure that witch doesn't send anything else out there to endanger the citizens of our city."

Madoka and Sayaka began to cheer. "Yeah, you go, Mami!" Sayaka cried out.

"We'll help you in any way we can, Tomoe-san! Right, Homura?" Madoka looked at the girl in question excitedly.

"Oh! Oh, uh, yes!" Homura looked unsure of herself, but how can she say no when Madoka was smiling to her like that?

"All right, then, ladies. First off, I feel I must say that this isn't fun and games." Mami waited for the girls to quiet down a bit before she continued. "Hunting a witch is extremely dangerous. You'll be facing death in the face out there, and the possibility of getting hurt or losing your life are great. I'm bringing you with me so you can see first-hand what the life of a magical girl is.

"And it's with that I must ask for a request: please be careful." Mami pleaded to them, hands clasped together and held in front of her. "I don't know what I'd do if any of you got hurt under my watch, so please don't do anything rash and leave the witch slaying to me, all right?" Mami finished with a smile.

After receiving an affirmative from each one of the girls, Mami gestured for the three to follow her.

* * *

~ Witch Gertrude's Labyrinth: Nagisa's Group ~

"Hey, Nagisa, I do not like the looks of this."

Amai expected things to be unusual the moment Nagisa warned her about witches and the likes, but the surreal of the labyrinth were really creeping her out. She found herself standing right behind the little magical girl, looking this way and that for any sign of danger.

"This isn't supposed to be fun," Nagisa replied, puffing her cheeks a bit. She held her soul gem out. "I wasn't aware how close we were to the witch – unless the witch approached us without me realizing. That's rather troubling."

"Why is that?"

"It means the witch is sentient. A witch capable of thought reflects its strength. It's the general rule of thumb if it shows intelligence beyond simple hunger and instinct, its strength is also above average."

"Ah..."

"We need to be careful. It's possible this witch knew it was being hunted, and was lying in wait for us. After all, how can it resist an opportunity to devour not just a couple of magical girls, but other girls who show magical promise?"

"This thing... wants to eat me?!" Amai didn't know what was worse: the fact she walked right into the lion's den or that, as usual, she didn't take a warning to heart. Then she realized something else: "Other girls?"

"I can sense a few other presences just out of the labyrinth's reach. I know without a shadow of a doubt Tomoe-chan is here, but she's not the only magical girl in the vicinity. There's one other." Nagisa blinked. "I also sense a few civilians. Their magical signature seems to be close to Tomoe-chan, though. She may be in the process of helping them."

"You can... sense them?"

Nagisa nodded. "To an extent. I see the general direction they are, but the labyrinth doesn't help much with knowing the distance between them and us. I'd rather not involve Tomoe-chan if she has to take care of civilians." She lifted a hand upward, and a trumpet materialized in the air. "I'll have to deal with it myself."

"Wait, wait, wait, whoa! Didn't you say you've never hunted a witch before?!"

"True. Now is a good a time as any." With one hand clasped around the trumpet, Nagisa lifted her other hand towards the direction they came. A lighted path pierced into the surrealness. "Follow my power and you'll be able to get out, Amai-san."

"I'm not leaving." Amai declared with a fierce shake of her head.

Nagisa's arm fell back to her side as she looked at the other girl with an incredulous look. "Why not?"

"Okay, this is normally the part where I say I can't let a little girl go off on her own to take care of a dangerous monster, but I'll be honest. I'm legitimately curious to see what these witches are. I probably can't help much since I know squat about this, but hey, if you need to get to a high place I can be useful for that at least."

A giggle, and Nagisa offered a smile. "I don't know. You seem like an unstable boost."

"Believe me, there's always something. Like the elusive cookie jar on top of the fridge, or your all-ladies magazine you keep out of your parents' sight."

"Huh?"

"Forget that last one. Anyway, I have something I can defend myself with." Amai went fishing into her backpack, pulling out a cylinder container. "It's not a taser but pepper spray is still pretty effective."

With a hum, Nagisa held out her hand. "Let me see that for a moment." The canister in hand, Nagisa focus a bit of her magic into the object, changing its appearance significantly; from a plain white and red container, patterns of oranges and leaves appeared on a soft pink background. "...And done!"

Amai took her pepper spray back. "Whoa, the design is weird."

"But it'll work. I can't guarantee I'll protect you the whole time we're here, so if you see anything that makes to harm you, use that."

A babble of laughter came from their right. Nagisa and Amai turned to see a small horde of witch minions heading their way. Nagisa made to raise her trumpet and dispose of them, but Amai jumped in front of her and quickly put the improved pepper spray to work. She held down the trigger and a spray of magical capsaicin spewed forth. The minions panic as most caught fire, scurrying around in an effort to put the flames out. Many of them ran away from the two girls as they watched the spectacle in awe.

"Well... that was effective!" Amai exclaimed, giving the can an impressed look. "I'm keeping you for pests!"

"Now that we've tested it out, let's get a move on."

Nagisa took the lead, heading down the confusion of colors and jumbled marks. The labyrinth truly messed with Amai's senses. One moment she thought she saw a door, but in reality was a minion – a rather large one at that – in disguise. Were it not for Nagisa taking notice of its eye turning red when the older girl approached it, Amai probably would have ended up a meal.

"Whoa! I was not expecting that!" Amai watches as the familiar's body disintegrated into ashes. "And that trumpet of yours is surprisingly strong." Amai hadn't been expecting a burst of bubbles to come from the instrument. If she hadn't seen the effects of her improved pepper spray, she would have thought the little girl's trumpet to be ordinary.

"Please be careful, Amai-san. I warned you of the dangers here." Nagisa reprimanded before she continued walking.

Amai pouted before picking up the pace. "Hey, I'm trying my best here, but it's really disorientating. How can you find your way around here?"

"You have to keep an eye on the signs."

"The signs?"

"The signs of the witch. Each witch has a specific representation of themselves in their labryrinth. You just need to know what to keep an eye for while navigating through it." Nagisa reached out her hand and touched a rose sticking out of the wall. Amai couldn't be sure of it at first, but the rose appeared to twitch from the touch, as if the flower was attempting to avoid contact with Nagisa.

Amai jumped back when the rose began to convulse. The red petals extended from the receptacle, the softness turning to sharpness as they neared the two girls. Amai screamed. Nagisa got in front of Amai, her trumpet raised and at the ready.

The flower continued to grow in size, the petals expanding out to form a mouth-like vice. It reached forward, Nagisa pushing Amai back to avoid getting bitten. Amai fell on her back, but away from the creature, giving the younger girl space to begin drawing power from within. Taking a breather and bringing the mouthpiece of her trumpet to her mouth, she exhaled with force. Large bubbles spewed from the horn, spreading to surround the monster rose from all sides.

As the monster began to squirm, its body made contact with the nearest bubble, prompting it to burst along with the rest of its brethren. The monster roared in pain, its body slowing disintegrating.

Nagisa twirled the trumpet in her hand before throwing her arm in the air. "Yeah! I took care of a minion!"

She basked in the glow of her victory for a moment longer before she remembered there was one other person with her. Nagisa turned to search for Amai. "Are you all right?"

The girl in question groaned from the ground. "Just taking my time to get my act together. I may have cracked my skull, got a concussion. Who knows? I feel woozy. This isn't serious, right?"

Nagisa kneeled next to her, helping her sit up. "If you're mumbling like that, that might be a sign you're doing fine."

"Joyous." Amai stood up with Nagisa's assistance.

Amai continued walking forward, but stopped when Nagisa tugged her back. The little girl pointed where the monster previously stood. Amai barely contained her gasp.

"What the hell?!" Her wide eyes took in the burnt husk of a person.

"The witch's victims. I guess she uses the corpses as fertilizer for her garden. How awful..."

Amai remained quiet, looking at the corpse. "...That's intense."

"We better get moving, Amai-san."

The two continued walking for a while in a silence that was once again ended by Amai. "How come we don't hear about these people going missing? If these witches are always kidnapping people, wouldn't the missing people's families announce that?"

Amai wasn't expecting the sad look on Nagisa's face. "It doesn't work that way, unfortunately."

* * *

~ Witch Gertrude's Labyrinth: Mami's Group ~

"Huh." The single word slips past Mami's lips as she studied her surroundings. She made sure to secure the woman who had fallen from the rooftop of the building first before gesturing for the other girls to follow her.

"Is something wrong?" Sayaka asked, maneuvering the bat Mami had enchanted with her power.

"Oh, no, it's nothing wrong as far as I can tell. At least, I hope not. There's something unusual happening but..." Mami trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence but sharing a look with Kyubey who nodded its head. "Follow me, ladies!"

The four of them ran forward full speed. Mami held out a hand as she felt for a weak point in the witch's barrier. The moment she caught it, she pushed her power in, and an entrance opened wide for them.

Mami made sure to gather some of her power into the palm of her hand, weapon ready to materialize the moment she sensed danger. Sayaka and Homura immediately branded their weapons out, looking this way and that way for any signs of danger.

"Ugh, this place is as weird as last time," Sayaka admitted. "Maybe even weirder."

"This is the witch that familiar belonged to. The labyrinth would have similar designs."

"Do you know where to go, Tomoe-san?" Madoka asked.

Mami hummed. "In theory, the witch will be deeper down the labyrinth, so we'll have to endure it's defense before encountering it. Thankfully, there are ways to try to feel out a route to the witch's room."

The signs weren't hard. From what Mami could quickly tell when her eyes caught the details, the witch had a fondness for roses. The flower decorated the labyrinth walls from floor to ceiling. Mami's mouth twisted as she felt the rot and evil energy coming off the plants. It was easy for her to guess how the witch maintained them.

"That woman was lucky we came when we did."

* * *

~ Witch Gertrude's Labyrinth: Nagisa's Group ~

Amai tried to take the new information in. Nagisa continued to scout ahead, a trail of bubbles following them as they pushed forward.

The two of them had already encountered six more minions attempting to take the two girls as their new compost. Amai quickly went to work proving she could help the little magical girl, brandishing her pepper spray between the eyes of her attackers. Every time she attacked, she thought about all those unfortunate people who lost their families to witches.

"Even though, they'll never know..." Amai caught herself whispering a few moments later. She swallowed a sob as she continued forward.

When Nagisa informed her that the victims of witches were forgotten, it struck a chord inside of Amai. She could have known some of those victims before, but now she'll never know with their existence gone from her memories. Amai shuddered when she thought if her mother or father or Juudai ever become victims to all this.

'_I won't let that happen_.' Another minion tried to attack her, but she had the pepper spray at the ready and she sprayed the creature into oblivion.

"You're handling yourself pretty well," Nagisa commented, hovering by her side.

"This is nothing. I've taken tests and faced dinner rushes worse than this." Amai held the spray in front of her, turning this way and that as the two girls neared a fork in the road. "Where to?"

Her answer was given when a door appeared on the wall. Or rather, it waited for them to approach before it swung open. Magical girl and school girl peered inside to see a hall besieged by roses.

Amai swallowed her fear and took a step forward. "Shall we?"

"Wait, Amai-san-"

From the wall, a thorny vine reached out towards the girl. Amai shouted, jumping back to avoid the whiplash of the plant. Failing to catch its prey, the vine retreated. Amai stood there gasping, catching her breathe before she whipped around to face Nagisa.

"What the hell was that?!"

"The witch's labyrinth is like an extension of the witch. She already knows you are here because of our earlier encounter, and she has means to reach out and kill you."

Amai shivered and looked around her nervously.

"Don't worry." Nagisa smiled and reached to place a hand on Amai's shoulder. "I'll be able to sense if the witch makes a movement. You can count on me!"

"It's not that I don't trust you..." Amai sighed and slumped forward. "It's just a lot to take in."

"Understandable, but don't think too hard on it. After all, you were the one who decided to come down here, even after I warned you."

"True." Amai took a deep breathe, and straighten her posture. "Okay, so what now?"

With a reassuring smile, Nagisa snapped her fingers. A soft glow surrounded them, a light orange hue shining down. "I made a shield. Stick close to me; to conserve my magic, I'm keeping it close to us."

Traversing the hall proved to be simple enough as the two girls clung to one another. Each one held their weapons up even though the shield proved strong enough to fend against the vines whenever they made a grab for them. The hall ended soon, and Nagisa released the shield.

"This way! I'm starting to feel something from this direction." Nagisa tugged at Amai's wrist, pulling her to the left of the new hall they entered. From behind them, Amai heard the growls of approaching minions.

"Should we ignore them?" Amai made the mistake to look behind her; she counted at least fifty in the group that followed them.

"Let's see what awaits us ahead first." They then broke into full speed. The minions proved to be incapable of keeping up with them as they tore on ahead. Before long, the group remained far behind them, and they both entered a new and open room.

Amai titled her head back in awe, wondering how far up the ceiling went. After today, she's seen enough flowers to last her for the rest of her life. It seemed this witch made it its personal goal to coat as much of the surface with flowers. As they passed a particularly heavy batch of flowers, Amai held her canister at the ready in case any of it came alive.

Nagisa chose not to remain in the room for long considering the possibility of an enemy hiding among the garden. They passed through the door across the room, another hallway waiting for them on the other side. This one did possess minions they could not avoid, but it proved to be easy to dispatch when the two of them combined their weapons' strength together. Making short work of them, they continued on ahead.

Hall after hall, enemy fell one after another. Nagisa continued to check for further signs of the correct path. "This way." She pointed down another turn.

As they ran down the path, Amai noticed the little girl began to run a little slower than before. "Hey, are you all right?"

Nagisa nodded her head. "Yes, I'm just a little out of breathe."

"Um, I'm just going to guess, because of how convenient it is, but I can assume that using magic exhausts you, huh?"

"Yes, it kind of goes without saying." Nagisa closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. Amai started to slow down a bit for the girl's sake. "I'm not used to using this much magic at once."

"You did say this was your first witch hunt."

The young girl hummed in agreement. "I wasn't expecting it to be this exhausting."

"Do you want to take a break?"

"Does this look like the kind of place we can afford to let our guard down?" Despite her words, Nagisa graced the older girl with a smile.

"Well, let's slow down a bit, then." Amai could understand the need to exterminate the witch as soon as possible, but she didn't know what she was going to do if Nagisa was down for the count.

* * *

~ Witch Gertrude's Labyrinth: Mami's Group ~

Sayaka gave a battle cry as she smacked her magical bat against a minion who tried to touch Madoka. Homura likewise held out her stun gun into the face of another, the button trigger releasing a magical electrical charge in front of her.

"That's the ticket, ladies!" Mami encouraged, glancing behind her with a large and proud grin. She twirled her rifle in her hand before pointing the muzzle to one unfortunate minion and pulling the trigger, blowing it away with a magic bullet.

"You're all doing amazing!" Madoka called out her own encouragement. Homura started to blush, and Sayaka turned to her with a grin.

"Thanks, Madoka!"

"Thank you, Kaname-chan!"

Mami called for their attention, all four of them gathering together in the center of the current room they were in. "Everyone accounted for? Madoka-chan, you aren't injured, are you?"

Madoka shook her head. "No, I'm doing just fine, thanks to all of you."

"Between the four of us, we can handle this: Madoka keeping an eye out for any enemies, and the rest of us laying out the manpower." Sayaka insisted with a grin.

"Well, I think the one who ultimately has a say in this is Kyubey. What do you think?" Mami gestured to the little creature.

'_I feel like you all show true potential. If your magic wasn't already a sign, what I've seen is enough to indicate you're witch hunters._' The girls each blushed at the assessment.

"Um, what should we do next, Tomoe-san?" Homura asked, recovering first.

"We proceed forward. This way. I feel something coming from that direction." Mami approached one part of the wall, holding her hand out towards it. The surface gave way, revealing itself to be a door leading to another part of the labyrinth. Mami promptly turned and gestured for her companions. "This way, ladies."

They all filled into the new hall, each one of them taking in the new surroundings. Madoka in particular tried to keep an eye out for anything that looked hostile, taking her role as sentry (and supporter) seriously.

"It shouldn't take us too long to find the witch at this rate." Mami spoke up. "Kyubey, are we going the right way?!"

'_Yes, definitely. I sense the witch's presence getting stronger and stronger._' Kyubey made a noise that sounded like an intake of breath. '_Mami..._'

"What, is something wrong?!" Sayaka asked for everyone.

"It's... not so much that something's wrong, it's..." Mami took a moment to make sure. The feeling has been there since a little while ago but she hoped she had been wrong.

'_It seems like we are not alone_.' Kyubey helpfully provided. '_Another magical girl is here, along with another magical girl hopeful_.'

The three not-yet magical girls shared a look as Mami reached out for Kyubey to jump into her hand. "Is it someone we know?"

'_Yes and no. You don't know her name, but you've seen her before. The other presence with her I've seen a handful of times, however..._' Its voice trailed off at that.

"What's the matter?"

'_Sorry. I was just thinking about something. Regardless, I'm surprised she's here, but the more in this fight against the witches, the merrier, correct?_'

Mami smiled and nodded her head. "If she's here to fight against the witch, she's an ally. Ladies, this way!"

They continued to run until at last they approached a gigantic door. In comparison to the others they've gone through before, this one clearly delivered the importance. Mami had her guns at the ready, pushing the door open and leaving Kyubey with Madoka. "Stay right here. I'm going to put a barrier up."

"What? We can't come with you?" Sayaka protested.

"I'm sorry, but this is a witch. The minions were one thing, but a witch is in a league of its own. I cannot in good conscience let you accompany me to this fight."

Mami reached in, imagining the shield to place onto the threshold of the entrance before jumping down to the large room below.

* * *

~ Witch Gertrude's Labyrinth ~

Nagisa stopped in her tracks.

"What's up?"

The little girl turned to look at her companion. "Tomoe-chan is confronting the witch."

Amai's eyes widen. "What are we waiting for?! We need to move it!"

The two of them were taking another break, mostly for Amai since she took it upon herself to battle any of the minions in order to allow Nagisa to conserve her magic. Now, things were urgent. Nagisa was confident about Mami handling the witch, but Amai didn't know that.

No, Amai wanted to be by her friend's side when she went up against this monster. Her heart pounded as she thought about a reality where her friend would lose her life and any memories of her would fade away...

"Come on, kid! You are NOT moving fast enough!" Amai sprinted down the hall, Nagisa right behind her.

"I'd advise you to stay behind, Amai-chan! A witch is not like its minions or familiars! It is on a whole different level than them! You can get seriously hurt-!"

"Maria can get seriously hurt too, damn it! I'm not staying behind!" Amai forced herself to go faster. The hallway thankfully went in a straight line and the urgency in Nagisa's voice, she was heading the right way.

She noticed the entrance to the next room too late – Amai subsequently ran into the room. Her scream echoed through the space as she fell into the room.

Mami looked up in surprise, the scream successfully distracting her from the witch. Madoka and Sayaka gasped. Homura cried out in urgency, "Amai-chan!"

Nagisa reached out with her magic, an orange bubble appearing to cushion Amai's fall. The girl bounced up once before landing hard on the floor. Nagisa jumped down below. "Tomoe-chan!"

"Nagisa!" Mami didn't have much time to do anything else but call her name before the witch picked that moment to attack. Madoka's yell managed to alert her in time to dodge the witch's reach. Mami gathered her breath and turned to see the one person she wasn't expecting to see.

"Amai..." Mami whispered, widen eyes watching the girl in question rise to her feet.

From across the room, Amai dusted herself off and reached for her weapon. She gasped when she didn't find her magic spray. "Oh, damn, where did it go?!"

The witch took advantage of the girl's lack of action to attack, locking onto Amai. The girl continued to stand in the middle of the room, unaware of the approaching danger.

Nagisa and Mami both called out to the girl, weapons at the ready. Mami took aim and fired at the extended magical arm, blasting it clean off. Getting closer, Nagisa blew into her trumpet to release a slew of bubbles in the hopes of slowing the witch down; enough time for Mami to swoop in and carry Amai away from danger.

Amai wasn't expecting someone to pick her up like that out of the blue, but when she looked up her breath caught in her throat. "You..." Her friend looked magnificent in her magical girl outfit.

A magical ribbon shot out from Mami's hand, extending towards the spot Madoka and others remained, her magic drawing her up towards them. "Mami-san!" Madoka cried out.

"Mami...?" Amai tried the name out, finding the name fitting. Mami turned to face her when she heard her name. Their eyes met for a long moment, each of them commuting so much. Mami broke the gaze first, her face reddening slightly.

She stuck the landing, placing Amai down to her feet. Amai continued to look at Mami for a little longer before a slight movement to the side caught her attention. "Homy!"

Homura drew herself into Amai's arms. "Are you all right, Amai-chan?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Amai patted Homura down, checking for injuries before her gaze returned to Mami. By this point, the magical girl finished checking over Madoka and Sayaka and was making her way back to the witch.

"Stay behind the barrier. Nagisa-chan and I will handle this."

Mami jumped back down to join her fellow magical girl. Nagisa continued placing bubbles around the witch in an effort to weaken and slow it down. The witch's minions attempted to attack her from the sides as she continued to keep their master occupied fending against attacks. Nagisa produced a large bubble to balance on; keeping it aloft and away from any land bound enemies.

At this point, the witch produced a series of thorny vines, their ends tip with clipping scissors. Each and every one of them attempted to reach for Nagisa.

Rifles materialized around Mami, and she grasped one to lock and shoot down a vine. The thorn dissipated, and Mami reached for a new gun to shoot the next vine. And again and again, she danced in the air as she shot down vine after vine.

Nagisa took a deep breathe, exhaling as she gathered her magic to the tips of her fingers. She sent her magic to the bubbles still intact around her, sending the orbs outward. The bubbles made contact with several minions, impacting against them in powerful bursts of magic.

Mami nodded her head approvingly as Nagisa successfully eradicated a good deal of the minions. Her senses failed to catch the lone vine reaching for her ankle. She cried out as the witch caught her.

"Mami-san!"

"Mami!"

"No, Mami!" Amai cried out after Madoka and Sayaka, her heart near stopping in her chest.

The witch swung the tendril, dragging Mami across the wall. It did so for a while before it hung the girl in the air. With bated breath, Amai looked up to Mami, imagining the worst.

A giggle rang through the room, Mami turning her head to look at the others. "It's okay. I can't look bad in front of my students. You might want to move out of the way, Nagisa-chan!" The little girl nodded and jumped back.

The ribbon on Mami's chest untied itself. It cut through the tendril, releasing Mami. The magical girl twisted in the air, the ribbon circling back to her. Mami spread her arms out, her magic spreading out and summoning tendrils of her own. The strings attached themselves to the wall, impaling the surviving minions, but most importantly attaching around the witch. It struggled as the tangible magic began to constrict her.

"And now for my final attack!" Mami's arms moved in front of her, and her magic became tangible. A gun, larger than Mami, materialized in her arms. The witch struggled, but the magic strings held firm, preventing its escape.

There was nowhere to run.

Mami grinned. Her left eye fluttered shut as she took aim. "_Tiro Finale_!"

She pulled the trigger. The cock pulled back and the cannon released a mighty bullet that sheared right through the witch.

Mami landed with a flourish, back turned as the witch dissolved into nothing. From the air, materialized by her magic, she caught a teacup. She took a sip from the cup before smiling up at Madoka and the others. Mami held their gazes for a moment before turning her attention to Nagisa. The two magical girls shared a smile.

"Thank you for showing up to help." _And for protecting Amai_.

The labyrinth began to disappear. As the witch's curse slowly vanished, Nagisa made her way to where the witch formerly stood. A black orb hovered above the floor. Nagisa bend down to pick it up.

"Mami-chan, that was amazing!" Came Madoka's voice. She ran into Mami's arms – the girl quickly finished her tea before the girls went to join her.

"I'm glad to see everyone is all right." Just to make sure, she gave Madoka a once over as well as Sayaka and Homura. Which only left...

Mami squared her gaze on Amai. Amai met her gaze. Mami took a deep breath, at a loss for words to say to her friend.

Before she could open her mouth to say anything, Amai threw herself onto Mami, not unlike what Madoka did earlier. Mami both expected and felt surprised at her friend's actions. It had been so long since she spent any time with her that she drew a blank at what to do next. She let go of the breath she was holding, and inhaled again as she attempted to gather her thoughts again. "Amai..."

Her name had only escaped her lips before she felt something move over her body. Mami didn't have time to look down before both of her breasts were grabbed. She gasped, face turning red as she looked at Amai's grinning face.

"Looks like someone did a lot of growing up!" The brunette's grin grew further as she squeezed the flesh and moved them slightly.

Mami did what any girl would do in that situation.

She screamed and slapped Amai.

The other girls took a step back, be it from surprise at Mami's action or Amai's. "What the hell's wrong with you?!" Sayaka screeched, taking a step towards Mami and the weird girl.

Amai merely leveled an unimpressed look at Sayaka. "Who's the Flatbread?"

Her comment was met only with confusion, most of all from Sayaka. "Flatbread...?"

"_Ladies, I don't mean to interrupt_..."

All eyes landed on Kyubey, who all this time had remained within Madoka's grip.

"_I think there are a few questions that need to be answered here._"

"Yeah, like what are you doing here, Homy?" Amai looked at her friend. Homura shyly turned her head.

"And who are you?" Madoka directed this question to the shorter magical girl. Nagisa giggled behind her hand, the other hand still holding the Grief Seed.

"And what the hell do YOU mean by 'Flatbread'?" The last question came from Sayaka who pointed a finger accusingly at Amai.

* * *

~ Somewhere in the Distance… ~

'_And why do all these potential magical girls keep showing up_?' The unspoken question came from a girl with dark long hair. She continued to watch the unsuspecting group from the shadows.


	5. Chapter 5: Catching Up

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

**Also, this chapter is going to be a filler one so the girls and our OC's get to know each other a bit more but we do promise that chapter 6 there is going to be more Magical Girl action. And if there's anything we need to improve on, please let us know! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 5: Catching Up ~

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Business went slow in the restaurant that night, slow enough for Juudai to handle on her own. "Will you be ordering dessert tonight?" She aimed the question to the only table present.

When she received a negative response, Juudai left their bill at the table and retreated to the back. She started wiping down the counter for a minute when she heard the bell at the door alerting her of a new arrival. And judging by how long it takes for the door to close, it was a large table. Juudai braced herself before stepping to the front.

"Good evening! Welcome to..." Her sentence drifted off when she saw who it was. Juudai's eyes widen, and she dashed forward.

The new arrival smiled at Juudai. "Hey, Judy! Are you happy to see me or-?" Amai promptly shutted up when Juudai kneed her in the gut.

It took a minute for Amai to catch her breath.

It took a couple of minutes for Amai (and Homura) to assure Madoka and the others that Juudai's act was, in fact, normal.

It took five minutes for Juudai to apologize to the couple still in the restaurant, focusing on them until they left. Juudai turned to where the group of girls headed. Approaching the table, she noticed menus were set out on the surface in front of each girl.

"Man, I really need to make a complaint to this restaurant. The service here is awful!" Amai barked a laugh, which morphed into a yelp when a butter packet hit her square between the eyes.

"You think it's funny to leave me hanging like that, huh?" Juudai huffed and made her way back to the kitchen to leave the dishes.

She suppose it's only justice considering she left Amai be to speak with the blonde girl the other time so she breathe in deep, willing her irritation to subside... for now.

Juudai made her way back to the dining room, a notepad and pen in hand. "It's good to see you again Kaname-chan." Madoka giggled and waved in greeting. "Thank you again for taking care of Homura. Hello, Miki." Juudai nodded to Sayaka. The blunette mumbled a greeting. "Don't think I don't see you there, Kyubey. Are you doing all right?"

"_Never better._"

Juudai would imagine so, considering the little critter was being held in Madoka's arms. He leapt off her embrace and sauntered over to the edge of the table to be close to Juudai. The orangette got the hint and reached a hand forward to pet his head, smiling at the content noise he made at her touches.

"And hello again, Tomoe-san. Thank you for inviting me for cake and tea the other time."

"Oh, it was no problem." Mami smiled and waved a hand dismissively.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute," Amai held her arms out in emphasis, eyes switching from one girl to the next. "You're freaking telling me you guys already know each other?"

"'Know' is pushing it," Juudai shot that thought down quickly with a glare aimed at Sayaka. "We had a little run-in at the mall-"

"At the mall?!"

"And Tomoe-san invited us to her apartment for treats as she explained something... odd."

Amai looked indignant; she placed her hands on her hips and turned her body towards Mami. "You mean to say you've been avoiding me for the better part of a year and yet you invited my best friend over to your place?"

"Now, hold on. I didn't know you were friends with her." Mami defended herself.

"And I didn't know this was your 'Maria'," Juudai finished.

"Maria?" Mami looked confused.

"Amai doesn't remember your name."

"Juudy!" Amai's face reddens in embarrassment.

Mami hummed in thought before aiming an unreadable look at Amai. "Well, we didn't see each other that often to be so familiar with one another. Not to mention I know she is rather forgetful. I can forgive her for that because at least she didn't fully forget who I am." Mami smiled. The brunette looked at her like she was seeing a celestial being. "I remember your name Amai. Your parents never stopped gushing about how you were their little ray of sunshine."

"Aw, shucks." Amai looked away, blush growing brighter.

"It's nice to see you again. Believe me when I say there was a good reason why I was avoiding you. Although…now it seems like it was all for naught." The blonde glared at Kyubey.

"_Don't look at me. I didn't know she was keeping Nagisa company_."

"I was lost, and Amai-neechan offered to help me." Nagisa helpfully provided.

"She called me 'big sister'..." Amai looked at Juudai in awe at this development. Despite her earlier irritation, Juudai smiled.

"And then I taught her about Magical girls!" Nagisa finished.

"Nagisa, what caused you to do that?"

"I was hungry, and she gave me food. Besides, she kept following me even when I told her not to."

Mami's brow twitched at Nagisa's response. "Amai, I appreciate that you took care of Nagisa-chan, however..." The blonde turned to face Amai, her face set with a hard look, "you do realize how great the danger you were in, correct?"

The brunette's face settled into a blank look. An uncomfortable curtain of silence settled over everyone as Mami and Amai stared off. The other girls sitting down fidgeted in their seats.

Juudai sighed. "Okay, okay. If we're about to have a heavy discussion, can I at least start you off with your drinks?"

Madoka recovered first. "Oh, can I have Orangina please?"

"Soda for me." Sayaka input with a raise of her hand.

"Hot green tea for me." Mami didn't turn her gaze from Amai as she placed her order.

"Same." The brunette was really trying her best to act like the blonde's reflections.

"Milk! Milk! Milk!"

"All righty." Juudai giggled at Nagisa's antics. "And you, Homy?"

"Apple cider." The raven had a small smile on her face.

Juudai wasn't sure, but she thought she saw her shaking slightly. She kept the question to herself until a later time. Turning, she left to get their drinks. A minute later, the orangette returned with their drinks in a tray, passing them to each girl. Mami and Amai were still glaring at each other.

"Am I the only one who thinks the two of you need to stop acting like little kids?" Juudai pointed out, face blank.

"Considering that pervert groped her, I'm not surprised Mami's mad." Sayaka huffed as if that was anything new.

"That's actually common around here."

"Yeah, not a day goes by that I don't see Amai touch a girl." Homura helpfully provided. Sayaka looked at her as if she grew two heads.

The stare down finally broke when Amai turned to stare at the blunette. "I'm a real lady killer." She winked. Sayaka gagged. "You're not exactly my type though. Love the hair, but you leave much to be desired _here_." The brunette's hands twitched at her chest level.

"You disgust me." Sayaka hissed.

"Stop it, you two." Mami snapped.

"Hey, I'm just saying! You did a lot of growing while I wasn't looking, huh, Mami?" The blonde blushed at the question, turning away from Amai.

"Seriously, are we really not going to talk about how you guys suddenly showed up at the restaurant? Because I'm going to take a risk at being rude here to tell you guys its eight thirty, I got school tomorrow and no thanks to a certain someone here I haven't started on my homework." Juudai glared at the brunette specifically.

"You're welcome." Amai sneered. "And consider it payback for going to Mami's place, eating her sweets and not even thinking of bringing me some!"

The orangette looked thoughtful. "You're right! I should have at least brought a slice for Xavier."

"I could kill you."

A smirk appeared on Juudai's face in response to the frustration blossoming on Amai's voice. "It was delicious."

"You're so cruel!" Amai bawled instead, head going into her arms on the table as she wailed.

A door opened from the direction of the waitress alley.

Juudai turned to see who it was. "Oh, Mrs. Asurito. You're still up?"

"Mom?!" The brunette's head shot up, tears stopping as she looked at her mother. The older woman wobbled her way into the restaurant, a hand clutching her enlarged belly.

"Here I was wondering what the racket was all about. It's just my little girl and her friends." Mrs. Asurito chuckled. "Hello there, Homura-chan. How are you doing tonight? We haven't seen you here in quite a little bit."

"O-oh, sorry about that, Mrs. Asurito." Homura bowed her head. "Some things came up, but I'm here today. How are you feeling? Is the baby behaving?"

Mrs. Asurito snorted. "Behaving – he's been mostly kicking and moving around. It gets uncomfortable after a while."

"Guess that's a sign he wants out soon." Amai had a goofy grin on her face.

"You have an appointment this week, don't you?" Juudai asked.

Mrs. Asurito nodded her head. "Now, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Homura stammered introducing Madoka.

Juudai, after a moment's pause, introduced Sayaka.

"This one over here is Nagisa!" Amai ruffled the girl's white hair, a smile blooming on Nagisa's face. "And this is -"

"Mami Tomoe?" Mrs. Asurito beamed. "Oh my dear, I haven't seen you in so long! How have you been? You have to tell me all about it. You haven't come back here for any help at all. Is apartment life treating you well? Are you getting enough to eat?"

"Oh, I've been fine, ma'am. Thank you for asking." Mami's face reddens. "I... I'm so sorry I haven't been able to visit lately. I've been very busy."

"Sweetie, I understand. You're living on your own now, taking care of yourself and going to school too. It's going to be hectic. But find some time to come visit us every now and then, dear. I know Amai missed seeing you."

"Tell me about it." The brunette eyed Mami's chest.

Her mother glared at her. "Behave."

"On the topic of behaving, have you eaten yet?" One of Amai's brows lifted. "You're supposed to be taking care of yourself and the baby."

"I've been eating. It's just been a hectic rush today, is all."

The brunette looked displeased by her mother's excuse. "So you haven't eaten? Judy."

"No, she hasn't." Juudai answered the silent question.

"Okay, well, I know what I got do then. Hey, ladies, go ahead and give Juudai your order. I'll be making your dinner tonight. My treat." Amai flashed a smile at everyone.

"Sweetie, are you sure?" Mrs. Asurito looked worriedly.

"Better her than me. Homura-chan, the usual?" The orangette asked her shy friend.

Juudai took their orders and went to set the ticket on the kitchen window. Amai passed through the door leading to the kitchen.

The Orangette turned back to the table. "So, can I ask why you guys are all here? Not that I'm not happy to see you again, but you came in with Amai."

The unspoken question lingered in the air.

Mrs. Asurito dispelled the awkwardness. "Well, isn't it obvious, Judy? Mami wanted to keep Amai company!"

A small smile graced Juudai's face. "Yeah, well, that is one way to look at it."

"Mom! Get your butt back upstairs! A diner booth is NOT a comfortable place for you to settle in!"

"All right, ladies, that's my cue to go." Mrs. Asurito pouted after Amai finished shouting from the kitchen. "I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me."

After the older woman left, Amai entered the room again. "Hey, Judy?"

"What is it?"

"The weird thing Mami was explaining to you was about the witches and magical girls, huh?"

"Yeah, and you know about them too now." Juudai looked between Mami and Nagisa. "She didn't get hurt did she?"

"Of course not! I took care of her!"

"And you did a good job, Nagisa. Although I would have preferred if she wasn't involved at all." Mami took a sip of her tea. "May I have some more, Amai?"

The brunette gave her a look, but relented and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Nagisa and I were tracking the same witch-" The blonde started to explain.

"I just saw the witch." Nagisa corrected.

"-and while I realized that Nagisa was inside, I could not guess the identity of her partner. Initially, I assumed her companion was a victim she rescued, but imagine my surprise when we meet in the witch's chamber." Mami paused for a moment. "The witch we pursued today is the same one that attempted to devour you the other time. We exterminated her."

"Okay."

Amai came back with a new cup filled with more tea, placing it in front of Mami after taking the empty cup away she went back to the kitchen.

"_Have you changed your mind, Juudai?_" Kyubey asked the orangette.

"Huh? Oh, about all this. Sorry, my answer is still the same."

"_Then what about-_"

"No."

Everyone in the table turned to look at Mami. The door swung open and Amai came back, looking at the girls confused.

"Amai, this tea is not hot enough." The blonde stated.

"What? I brewed it right, I'm sure!" The brunette insisted.

Mami just smiled at her sweetly. "Can you go remake this for me, please?"

"Why can't Juudai do it?" Amai complained.

"Because she asked you." The orangette said flatly.

Amai groaned, glaring at Juudai before taking the cup back to the kitchen. A moment of silence passed before Mami spoke up again.

"There's no need to involve Amai in this."

"_Mami, I will be the first to remind you that there is strength in numbers. I will respect Juudai's decision, but Amai seems really interested. I would like to offer her the chance._"

"No." It was the same thing she said earlier, but the force in which she said it caused everyone to freeze. "She has no reason in becoming a magical girl." Mami's expression lightens. "Please Kyubey, I beg of you. Don't do it."

Kyubey looked at her unblinkingly. "_I suppose there isn't much I can do here._" Kyubey retreated, curling up beside Juudai's hand.

Amai came back with a new cup of tea, a frown set on her face. "Here you go m'lady."

"Thank you." Mami said coolly. She took a sip, a small pleased smile on her face. "Don't you have some food to watch over?"

The brunette slammed her hands down on the table, causing the girls to jump in surprise again. "Hey, don't think I don't realize what you're doing. You can just come out and say it if you don't want me in the room. Not that I'll listen."

"Amai, please. This pertains to magical girls." The blonde started. Too bad her choice of words was a mistake. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide. "I-"

"Well, if that isn't a load of bull. What's your problem? Juudai isn't a magical girl. Homura, Madoka and the flatbread aren't either! What's so special about them that you're picking me out?!"

Mami's mouth switched between staying open and closed. She knew what she wanted to say, but it was a struggle to actually say them out loud.

"C'mon! Say something!"

"U-umm? Excuse me?"

All eyes turned to Madoka. The pinklette flinched a bit before regaining her composure. "After the incident when I met Tomoe-chan, I was inspired. If it weren't for her I wouldn't be here right now... I've only known her for a short while, but I really look up to her! I want to be someone like that one day."

Amai noticed the smile on Mami's face, and the sad look settling in her eyes along with the happiness.

"I'm pretty much the same." Sayaka huffed, but a smile showed up on her face nonetheless. "Mami's really cool, and she's saving lives! That's something I only dreamed of doing."

The smile on Mami's face twitched.

"I... will agree that Tomoe-san is really admirable, but... I'm not actually sure what wish I want to make." Homura admitted. "The situation is really intimidating, and you never know when the situation will turn dire. I have to admit my heart nearly stopped when I saw you earlier, Amai-chan. I don't know how you made it so far in such a dangerous place. I suppose some of that is thanks to Nagisa-chan..."

"Hey, Homy, I know a thing or two about fending for myself." The brunette's playful nature broke through the surface, settling down next to the raven. "Nagisa made sure I can fight off those little baddies!"

Homura giggled. "That stun gun you gave me came in handy today."

"Whoa! Seriously? Damn, and I missed that."

"Sayaka looked really cool as well. Tomoe-san had enchanted her bat." Madoka commented.

The blunette blushed. "I really looked cool."

Homura nodded her head. "Yes, you did!"

Amai hummed. "Hmm, maybe your good points are your arms then? I gotta feel this for myself..." She reached over Homura for Sayaka.

"H-hey, stay the hell away from me!"

"Let me feel your arms!"

"Amai, if you don't stop, you're going to spill their drinks." The brunette retreated with a huff after Juudai spoke. "And I don't know what's going on between you and Tomoe, but you seriously need to keep an eye on the food, or else it'll burn."

"Crap, you're right." Amai sighed and stood up. "Look, can we just agree not to talk about the magical girl business until I come back with the food? Juudai, go ahead and close the store. We're not getting any more business, and you might as well get started on your homework while dinner gets ready." The brunette's voice held a slight edge of authority to it.

"Good idea," Juudai was all too happy to comply. She swapped the signs out and then headed towards her room to change and grab her homework. When she entered her room, she was immediately tackled by Xavier. "Did you finish your homework?" Her lips were set in a soft smile.

He nodded his head.

"Good. Go wash up. When you're done, come downstairs so you can eat."

"Gotcha." Xavier ran out of the room.

Juudai gathered her books under her arm and returned downstairs. The girls were talking quietly among themselves. Sizzling could be heard from the kitchen door. Juudai sat down at a table next to theirs.

"Judy?" The orangette looked away from the first problem she started working on to look at Homura. "Why are you sitting all the way over there?"

The raven truly felt concern considering she stopped mid-conversation with Madoka to ask. The rest of the girls turned their gazes to Juudai.

"I wouldn't want to place all my materials on the table when dinner's coming up." Juudai reasoned.

"Nonsense." Mami shuffled and tapped the spot next to her on the booth. Juudai couldn't really find it in herself to say no, so she picked up her belongings and sat next to the older girl. "Do you need any help? If anything doesn't make sense, let me know. I might be able to help."

Madoka scooted her seat closer to the two of them. "Oh! What subject are you working on?"

"Math."

The pinklette smiled, her brows scrunching together in a determined grimace. "I did really well in math last year, and I'm doing pretty well with it now."

Juudai giggled, catching herself and slapping a hand over her mouth. "I think I'm doing well for now, but I'll let you know if I encounter a problem."

"What other work do you have tonight?" Homura asked.

"I got math, science and language arts. I already finished history in school, thankfully."

"I can help you with science." The raven offered.

"And I can help you with language arts." Mami finished.

"Hey, you don't need to do this." Juudai started.

Mami shook her head. "As your sempai's, we're entitled to help you. We want to make sure we can help you strive to be the best you can be. Besides, thanks to Amai, you haven't made much progress with your work. The least we can do is help you."

"Yeah, working together is really fun!" Madoka added.

"I... thank you." The orangette ultimately conceded.

Homura and Mami snatched her books, opening them to the pages marked by her homework sheets. Madoka moved her chair so she was sitting by Juudai's other side. Juudai passed her a pencil after she made herself comfortable.

"I feel really useless." Sayaka sighed, slumping forward on the table.

"I don't know any of this." Nagisa peered over Mami to look at the pages.

"I'm not surprised, dear." The blonde chuckled. "Judging by your appearance, you're still in elementary school, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh, but I haven't been to school in a while."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Um, well..." Nagisa looked away.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that." Mami went back to helping Juudai with her work.

A few minutes Xavier came down the stairs.

"Juudai!"

"Over here, Xavy." Her younger brother took a seat next to her.

"You got this problem wrong." Xavier pointed at a problem in the book.

"Oh, good on you for noticing that!" Mami complimented. "How did you figure that out?"

Xavier grinned. "Juudai showed me a problem similar to this the other night."

Juudai took a moment to introduce everyone to her little brother.

"You really are very smart." Madoka cooed. "Do you know what this is?"

"Oh, Juudai was going over this yesterday. Past tense in English, right?"

"Yeah, we're going to start working on essays real soon. I'm pretty confident in my skills but I wouldn't mind a refresher. How far are you all in English?" The orangette asked.

"We're reading Romeo &amp; Juliet right now." Mami admitted.

Most of the people at the table gasped. "Wow, Tomoe-chan!" Madoka cried.

"Geez, I can't imagine reading that." Sayaka grumbled.

"Oh, I've read that before."

"What?!"

Homura nodded her head at Sayaka's tone. "When... when I was still in the hospital, my relatives brought me books to read. The version I read had the story written in both English and Japanese. You're not reading it right now, but if you want some notes, I can let you borrow it, Judy. The book contains grammatical advice and the likes and you would have read it already for your third year."

"That sounds helpful. I'd appreciate it."

"In the meantime, I can help you as much as I can. I didn't bring my notes, so you'll have to excuse me if my thoughts are a bit scattered." The blonde apologized.

"Thank you, Tomoe. So, what do you think about this problem?" Juudai attempted to get Mami back into the subject at hand.

Mami had just finished helping Juudai out with that problem when Amai came into the dining hall with trays of food. "Order up! Put away the books. I won't allow any reading while you're munching on my grub!" After doing what was asked, the girls took the time to gaze at Amai's creations.

"Okay, I have to admit, this doesn't look bad." Sayaka complimented first. The girls said their grace. "You didn't poison this, by any chance?"

"Hell no." Amai scowled. "I don't play around with food, girl."

Madoka made a small sound of pleasure, spoon in her mouth. "These croquettes are really tasty!"

"Glad SOMEONE appreciates my cooking!"

"You always cook a good meal, Amai." Homura smiled.

"Meh, it could have been better." Xavier complained.

Amai slammed her hand on the table. "You always complain about my cooking, you little brat. What's wrong with it now?"

"My croquette is burnt." He held one of the breaded rolls between his chopsticks.

"There are only a few spots! I dropped them in the fryer; some parts are going to get cooked a bit more than the rest!"

"Xavier, quit complaining about your food and eat." Juudai reprimanded the boy, eating her food quickly.

"Hey, Judy, slow down or you're going to choke."

"I need to get back to my homework, Amai."

"It's not going anywhere, and we're here to help you. Otherwise, you're going to be pulling another all-nighter." The brunette sat down at last with a plate of her own.

Mami turned to Juudai. "That's not good for your health, dear."

"Yeah, well, when you have your hands full with chores, homework kind of goes on the backburner. School's not getting any easier, either, and teachers really love giving you a ton of assignments."

Madoka hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it really doesn't help when they give you a reading assignment, too. All that reading you got to do, AND the questions. It's overwhelming."

"Are you guys having trouble with your homework? If so, I feel maybe we should make a study group. It might help make the assignments easier."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Both Amai and Sayaka declared. The two looked each other in the eyes.

"Let me guess; you're struggling with your assignments?" Sayaka smirked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You look like it."

"Um, excuse me? But I believe I'm your senpai in regards to school. I'm in my grade for a reason. This noggin of mine isn't rotting." Amai tapped the side of her head with a satisfied grin.

Sayaka's face twisted. "I don't know if that was meant as a reassurance, or to make me question the state of your mind..."

"The study group sounds great!" Amai emphasized, giving Mami a look.

"_It would be a great idea to meet up frequently_." Kyubey inputted. "_I think it would be advantageous_."

"Are you sure you don't have ulterior motives of wanting us to join up?" A small frown appeared on Mami's face as she asked him the question.

"_I don't think what I want is relevant in this situation. I still suggest you should gather together._"

"Okay, I've kept quiet until now, but I have to ask: what the hell is that?" Amai pointed at Kyubey. Madoka tore off a piece of a croquette to feed him. "Because to me that looks like a rat."

"He's not a rodent, Amai." Mami insisted.

"_I'm Kyubey. It's a pleasure to meet you, Amai Asurito_."

Amai jumped back in her seat, eyes wide. "It freaking knows my name."

"What are you guys talking about? I don't see a rat." Xavier looked at Amai and Mami as if they were crazy.

"_I cannot be seen by normal humans. You and Juudai Naosoroshii are special in that regard, considering the two of you have potential to be magical girls._"

"Like Nagisa-chan?"

"_And Mami. You don't have to speak outloud. I can pick up your thoughts._"

Juudai looked at Kyubey before closing her eyes and thinking. "_Like this?_"

"_Yes. You're getting the hang of it._"

"Don't worry, Xavier. We were just talking nonsense."

"Your friends are weird, Sis." Xavier huffed at his older sister before returning to his meal.

"We're weird? Are you for real?" Sayaka stared at the boy with her mouth agape.

"I-I didn't even do anything." Homura whined.

"I wonder if this is how it'll be like when Tatsuya grows older." Madoka giggled.

"I'm not weird." Nagisa's cheeks were puffed and she glared at Xavier.

The boy lifted one of his brows. "No, y'all are weird."

"That's enough." Juudai stated before a fight escalated between the two younger kids. "Finish eating."

"Okay, Sis."

"And you better eat all of it, even the burnt things." Amai grinned.

"No, I'll put them in the trash." Xavier stuck his tongue out at her.

"Better yet." The brunette placed her thumb and index into her mouth, blowing between the digits. "Little Brother!"

A bark sounded from the kitchen. The girls turned their heads to see a large Golden Retriever bound into the dining room.

"Who's a good boy? You are!" Amai leapt out of her chair to throw her arms around the creature. "Whatever you don't eat give it to him. He'll gladly eat it, unlike someone else."

"I don't want to poison Little Brother." Xavier flatly refused while Amai made an agitated sound. "Fine. I'll eat it all."

"Here, Little Brother." Juudai held a piece of her patty to the dog. He happily consumed it.

"'Little Brother'? You seriously couldn't have thought of a better name?" Sayaka asked flatly.

"He's like a little brother to me. Back off." Amai bit out.

After everyone cleared their plates, Juudai took their dishes away. Amai leaned forward, elbows placed on the table. She batted her eyes towards Mami. "So, what do you think about my cooking?"

Despite the occurrences of earlier, Mami managed a smile. "It was really delicious. Thank you."

"Meh, it could have been better." Sayaka half-snided. In all honesty, it was a really good meal and it meant she didn't need to cook herself that evening, but she sensed Amai had ulterior motives for talking to Mami out of everyone and she couldn't help but stepping into the conversation. "It was a bit salty for my tastes."

Amai's head whipped in the blunette's direction, a glare threatening to drill a hole on the side of her head. "I'll be sure to make a note for next time to add the entire salt shaker into your meal!"

Sayaka laughed. "How are you so sure there'll be a next time?"

"Because we're already making this study group happen, right?"

A silence descended on everyone. Juudai came back from the kitchen, looking at everyone in confusion. "All right, who died?"

"No one wants to study with you, Judy!" Amai wailed, reaching out for Juudai. The orangette pushed the brunette away.

"Did Amai say something inappropriate? I'll hit her right now if she did."

"Hey!"

"N-no, it's just..." Madoka looked to the side, waiting to hear Mami's reply.

"Madoka-chan, you don't need my permission to study with Juudai and Amai. Just... make sure _this one_-" Mami pulled at one of Kyubey's ears. "-isn't anywhere near you guys."

"Sounds like a plan." Homura said with a nod.

"All right, when should we get together? Does Friday sound good?" Amai suggested. "Well, Fridays might be a bit rough for my dad to handle with Mom pregnant, but I can't think of a better time that isn't a week day. Maybe Sunday?"

"Friday sounds good to me." Juudai responded. Xavier was starting to lean on her, his eyes closing in exhaustion. On her other side, Mami was experiencing the same thing with Nagisa. "I'm taking Xavier to bed so I can continue working on my homework."

Xavier began to mumble about how he wasn't actually sleeping, but Juudai paid him no mind. Taking him into her arms, she made to take him to their room above the restaurant. Mr. and Mrs. Asurito gave them both their own room, but ever since they lost _everything_, Xavier couldn't bear being separated from her for long and thus the two of them shared a room.

Amai laid Juudai's books out on the table while she tucked her brother in.

The brunette stepped back into the kitchen for a moment to bring out pitchers of hot water and a few baskets of various tea leaves. "We're probably going to be here a while. I'll go see if my mother left any desserts for us to snack on, too. Those always help."

Madoka and Homura said their thank yous while Mami cycled through Juudai's assignment. Sayaka made herself comfortable on the booth seat, turning into a random page in Juudai's English book.

"Geez, I don't remember reading material like this last year."

"It does feel like it was a long time ago, huh?" Madoka turned to Homura. "Were you in middle school here or in another city?"

"Oh, no, I was homeschooled."

"Wow, you must have felt really nervous on your first day of school, then."

"It wasn't too bad. I... met some wonderful people after I got out of the hospital." Homura glanced at Amai from beneath her eyelashes as the brunette returned to the dining room. "People who really helped me out when I needed it. And I also got to meet you."

Madoka giggled. "I'm glad I got to meet you."

Homura opened her mouth to say something, but from the corner of her eye she noticed the sly look Amai was giving her. Her mouth clicked shut, a blush appearing on her face.

Juudai came back into the dining room. "Amai, can you clean for me?"

"Sure, Judy. Make sure you keep an eye on these two." Amai pointed towards Homura and Madoka. The raven's blush grew deeper meanwhile the pinklette looked confused as well as Juudai.

"Okay...?"

Mami rose from her chair. "Oh, Amai, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Amai nodded her head – all to avoid squealing out loud at her circumstances.

Leaving the others in the dining room, Mami closed the kitchen door behind her. She watched as Amai went around gathering the cleaning supplies together. "Amai, please don't take anything that you heard today to heart."

The brunette hummed.

The blonde continued. "I...want to apologize for my behavior for this time. I stayed away because I was hoping I wouldn't get you caught up in all this. Being a magical girl...is not fun and games."

"I kind of figured that." Mami looked up to see a thoughtful scowl on Amai's face as she kneeled by a counter. "I'm not stupid. If someone I was close to was getting involved in something big like this, I'd be worried sick. I understand where you're coming from. I can't pretend we're close enough that you wanted to inform me about the possibility of death in all this."

Heart in her throat, the blonde struggled to compose a response. "Amai..."

"Still, what's done is done. I can't give a rat's ass about any of that." The brunette had a smile on her face as she rose to her feet. "You may not like it, but now you gotta put up with me knowing all this. You can't really argue with me, either. Juudai is involved too, even if she's keeping away from all this."

"Amai, you don't understand!" Mami struggled to keep her voice down. "It's not just knowing; I'm afraid you're going to make a mistake! Please, for the sake of normalcy and for my sanity, don't do anything foolish! This isn't just something you can throw yourself into!"

Amai shushed Mami, emphasizing her action by setting a finger on the blonde's lips. "I think you're over thinking things. Besides, now's not the time or place. Maybe later. When we're not worrying about whether Juudai will turn in her homework on time. Not that I think it should matter. It won't kill her if she misses out on a day of school work."

The blonde stayed silent throughout the brunette's speech, her eyes aimed at the floor. She hummed affirmatively, agreeing for the sake of the others they should get along - for tonight at least. Mami really enjoyed the company of Amai's friends and wished to remain on good terms with them.

Amai fell silent for a moment afterwards. "In fact, don't you think it would be better if we talked this over some cakes and tea?"

A shake of the head – Mami didn't realize she moved at all until Amai clasped her hands on her shoulders. The blonde stared when she saw the massive grin on Amai's face.

"Then it's a date! We'll meet up after school, and we can talk about all this witch nonsense! Oh my God, where will we go? It can't be here. How lame will that be? What about the café near the park? That one's got some pretty good cakes. But the one in downtown is good, too..."

Mami's face slowly started to turn into the brightest shade of red it's ever been. "Amai!"

"Hmm?"

"I-I..." A part of her wanted to tell her 'no', but another part didn't want to disappoint her. "Amai, I can't..."

"Just wait until tomorrow. You'll see. You'll be looking forward to that date then." Amai stepped out of the room, Mami hot on her trail. "Hey, ladies! Don't mind us. I'm going to start wiping things down. Can one of you kindly distract Mami for me?"

"Oh, Tomoe-chan, I'm kind of confused about this question." Madoka asked. Mami looked torn between complying and pursuing Amai. The brunette hummed as she set on to cleaning.

"You guys are distracting me." Juudai growled.

"Sorry, Judy." Amai didn't look a bit sorry.

"I like that we're making SO much progress with this study session." Sayaka flatly pointed out.

"Amai-neechan?" Nagisa called out.

"Yes, Nagisa-chan?" Amai cooed.

"Is it possible for me to stay here tonight?"

Amai squealed a bit. "Oh, of course you can! We got a spare room for you to use!"

Juudai looked at the little girl. "You don't have someplace to go, Nagisa-chan?"

The little girl shook her head. The orangette hummed thoughtfully.

"Where have you been staying all this time Nagisa-chan?" Mami looked away from a page in Juudai's homework to ask.

Nagisa squirmed. "Um, well..."

"I think we already decided we didn't care about that." Amai shot Mami a look. The blonde blushed and turned her eyes away from Amai.

"Oh, sure." Juudai rolled her eyes. "First the dinner, then the study group, and now a sleepover. What's next – inviting them to move in?"

Needless to say between talking and the shenanigans between them all – like Amai groping Mami when her back faced her – everyone did stay there for quite a while.


	6. Chapter 6: The Norm to Crisis

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

~ Chapter 6: The Norm to Crisis ~

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital ~

Waking up early to head to the hospital was killer, especially on little sleep, but Sayaka powered through it. With a yawn, she left her apartment, making sure checking on the lock before leaving.

The sun barely peaked over the horizon, the sky a mix of purple, orange and blue. Sayaka appreciates this side of the city, at least. A rare sight for most, she recalls being left in awe the first time she witnessed the sunrise. Even waking up for school didn't grant her this honor.

At first she walked briskly down the block. Once the first crosswalk came into view, Sayaka started skipping towards the cross lights.

The hospital stood seven blocks away from home and five blocks from the school. In total, it took about twenty minutes to cover the walk. For what she was planning on doing, an extra ten minutes would be added to that.

As she stepped foot on the hospital block, she sent a greeting towards a passerby she recognized as being a patient. He answered back as she walked past him. The same thing repeated again and again once she stepped foot inside the hospital until Sayaka walked up to the front desk.

"Here to see Kamijo-san?" The receptionist asked after greeting her.

"Yes, ma'am." Sayaka looked around as the receptionist typed away on the computer.

"You're in luck. Seems he had a rough last night."

Sayaka winced. "Is it really all right for me to see him?"

"I'm sure it is. You know, he never stops talking about you." The receptionist smiled. "I'm sure you'll brighten his day."

Sayaka smiled and laughed. "Oh, geez, thanks." She willed the blush to disappear off her face.

After being here so often, Sayaka knew the layout of the hospital like the back of her hand. It seemed sad, but helpful when a new patient needed help finding their way around. The hospital was immense. Sayaka recalled the first time she came here. This hospital wasn't her usual place to visit for checkups; another hospital, a bit farther from home, dealt with that. What the other hospital had that this one didn't was an affordable rate.

'_But considering Kyousuke's family..._' Of course his Father and Mother would be able to afford anything for their only child.

Sayaka heaved a sigh just as the elevator slowed to a stop. Her floor, she realized when she checked the gauge at the threshold. The doors slid open and she stepped out to the designated floor. Her feet automatically took her to the room she needed to go. For the sake of courtesy, she knocked on the door and waited for a reply. Silence greeted her.

"Kyousuke?" she called out. Sayaka still didn't hear a reply. Her hand hesitantly hovered over the doorknob. Should she let herself in or leave?

"...Come in."

The blunette started inhaling sharply before gathering her nerves and turning the knob.

"Good morning, Kyousuke!" Sayaka plastered a smile and stepped in. The room remained in darkness, the faint light of the rising sun cutting through the blinds. Kyousuke sat up on the hospital bed, his head turned to the window when she came in. When she spoke, however, he turned to look at her with a tired smile.

"Morning, Sayaka. How are you doing?"

"Oh, pretty good. Just checking on you before I go to school."

"You know you don't have to be here so early, right?" All the same, the smile on Kyousuke's face was bright. Sayaka could feel her face burning red.

"I know, but it's nice to see a friendly face when you're stuck here."

Kyousuke chuckled lowly. "Yeah, that's true..."

Sayaka strained her ears when she caught the sound of something. "...Have you been listening to my CD?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I've been listening to it all night." He picked up the CD player. "I've been having a hard time sleeping lately."

"It's helping a little?"

"It keeps my mind off of things for a bit." Kyousuke's smile seemed so small and forced, but Sayaka chose not to comment. She stood next to the bed, looming over the boy as they spoke. The two traded a few more words, mostly about music, before Sayaka reluctantly started walking towards the door.

"I'm heading to school now. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah... I'd like that. Have a good day."

Sayaka stood in front of the door a few minutes after she closed it. Her forehead settled gently against the door, a sigh passing her lips. She wished there was something she could do about his predicament.

'_But Mami said it wasn't a good idea to make a wish for another..._'

"Hey, if it isn't the Flatbread."

Sayaka groaned, turning to face the newcomer. "What are you doing here, Asurito?"

Amai laughed. "We came here to drop off my mom! She has an appointment today. We're just walking around a bit while we wait for the doctor."

'We' being the girl and a man Sayaka had not met before. He looked like her, the two curly bed of hair looking similar. "Oh, is this one of your friends who came over yesterday?"

"Yeah. Say, what are you doing here?"

"Visiting a friend. Are... you going to school?" Sayaka quietly asked.

"Yeah, in a few. I'm going to stay with Mom for a little bit before heading out."

"Well then, I'll... be seeing you." Sayaka turned around and walked away.

"Is that the flat-chested girl you were telling me about?" Mr. Asurito whispered to his daughter.

"E-yep. So what do you think?" Amai crossed her arms with a thoughtful look.

"I agree with your assessment, but she's still got some great legs."

"...Seriously?"

"I'm serious," Mr. Asurito insisted over her giggling. "Every lady has their unique quality that stands out above the rest. For your mother, it's her breasts."

"Just like Mami..." Amai said dreamily, with a sappy smile on her face.

"For both you and your friend, it's definitely your legs."

"Me too?"

"Yes, you too."

Amai hummed in understanding.

"Let's go see your mother real quick so you can go to school too, young lady." Mr. Asurito chuckled.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: 8th Grade Classroom ~

Sayaka stifled a yawn as class went on. Her eyes landed on Madoka across the room every now and then. The pinklette struggled to keep her head aloft. Presently, her head bobbed in the air every few seconds as she struggled to keep awake.

She winced sympathetically; at least Madoka remembered to call her mother to inform her she would arrive home late.

A flicker of white took Sayaka's eyes away from her friend and onto Kyubey. The white creature rested on Madoka's desk, invisible to the eyes of her peers. An idea came over her.

"_So is anyone up to talking in their minds?_" Sayaka announced. Kyubey's head shot up and his round eyes turned to look at her.

Madoka's head shot up in shock. "_Sayaka-chan?!_"

"_Well, I'm this close to falling asleep. Homura, you awake?_"

"_Y-yes. Is this really okay to do?_"

The question was obviously directed to Kyubey. "_I suppose so. Only magical girls within the vicinity will be able to hear our conversation._"

"_Tomoe-chan, are you there?_" Madoka reached out.

"_Yes, I'm here. And I think now would be a perfect time to reach out for a certain person, don't you think?_"

_Please don't let it be the pervert..._ Sayaka thought.

"_Naosoroshii-chan?_"

"_Hmm? What..._" A new voice entered the conversation. "_Are you for real?_"

"_Yes, we are speaking in our minds._" Mami kindly provided. "_How are things going on your end?_"

"_...I'm doing all right. Why are we doing this?_"

"_Sayaka is falling asleep, so we're talking to help her stay awake._"

"_Hey, you're falling asleep, too, Madoka!_"

"_Are you doing all right, Juudai-chan?_" Homura asked.

"_Yeah, it's nothing I can't handle._" From across the school, Juudai smiled as she leaned her chin onto her hand. "_What about yourself? You didn't get much sleep either._"

"_I-I know, but it isn't anything I can't handle either. I've had many sleepless nights while I was ill._"

"_Ah._"

"_Oh, yes, that's right. You were in the hospital before all this._" Madoka stated. "_Are you sure you're feeling up for this? You just got out of the hospital recently and you didn't sleep much last night? Is it all right for you to be here_?"

"_Thank you, Madoka, but it's fine_." Homura blushed at her seat. "_I'm tougher than I look._"

"_All the same, it's not all right for any of us to do that._" Mami inputted. "_I can still take you magical girl training, but at the same time I feel I might need to stop soon if it interferes with your sleep. Either that, or we'll need to wrap things up earlier so you can head to bed._"

"_Yes, ma'am._"

"_Kyubey?_" Juudai tentively reached out.

"_Yes, Juudai_?"

"_Can I talk to Amai through this_?"

"_Yes, you can._"

Juudai ignored the groan coming off Sayaka. "_Amai?_"

"_Whoa! Judy, where are you?!_"

"_Still in class. How are you holding up_? _Sayaka's practically falling asleep in her class, or so I am told._"

"_Seriously?_" Sayaka groaned.

"_Hey, Flatbread! Don't fall asleep! As your senpai, I have to advice against that._"

"_Oh, be quiet! I don't need to be told that by you!_"

Mami chuckled. "_You two are certainly rowdy today!_"

"_Wait, Mami's here? ...I'd be stupid to think I'm the only one talking like this, huh_?"

"_I'm here, Amai._" Homura called out.

"_Me, too!_" Madoka followed.

"_Since you have potential in being a magical girl, you can talk telepathically via me_." Kyubey helpfully provided. "_There is a range limit, but it's particularly helpful when in a search party and not within talking distance._"

"_That sounds really helpful._" Juudai commented. "_I thought that was just your manner of speaking._"

"_You humans are very limited in your methods of communication. My species is connected in a hive mind so we can all talk like this. But I will concede, you humans are rather resourceful in creating different methods to expand on your weaknesses and limitations. While most of your populace cannot communicate the way we do, you have your devices. It's one of the reasons why my kind is fascinated by your resourcefulness. And like I said, your species does have the potential of communicating like this. Another reason._"

"_I'm flattered._" Juudai deadpanned.

"_It's so much fun, though, isn't it?_" Madoka hummed.

"_We can talk without anyone knowing or listening in,_" Homura added. "_It'd be cool for secret things we'd want to do!_"

"_Ladies, this isn't supposed to be fun,_" Mami scolded. "_I'll admit it's nice to indulge every now and then but please don't take this out of hand._"

"_Yes, ma'am..._"

"_Hey, is it just me,_" Sayaka started. "_Or is one of us being suspiciously quiet?_"

"_Amai?_"

Mami was expecting Amai to respond to Juudai's inquiries, but only silence met her. Mami called out to Amai.

"_...Yes?_"

"_Is something wrong?_"

"_Um, none of you are able to read my mind with this, right?_"

"_This is for communicating, not reading minds_." Kyubey sounded insulted.

"_Why do you ask, Amai_?" Mami was already guessing the girl's reasoning.

"_No no, nothing, nothing! I'm definitely not thinking about breasts. Legs! Damn it, why did that girl have to walk in front of me!_"

Mami sighed.

* * *

~ Mitakihara Middle School: Hallway ~

"Naosoroshii-chan!"

Juudai turned to see Madoka and Homura running towards her, Madoka waving her arm in the air with a large smile on her face. "Hello, Kaname-chan. Hi, Homura."

"Are you doing anything after school?" Madoka asked.

"Oh, uh... well, I'm probably going to go home and get some homework done before getting ready for work."

"Ah, is it all right if we come with you?"

"W-we?" Homura blushed. Madoka nodded.

"The three of us can work together! It'll get our work done faster." Madoka heard her name being called; Sayaka came running down the hall after the pinklette.

"Hey, Madoka! Homura." Sayaka nodded towards the raven. "I'm heading to the hospital. Are you going home?"

"No, I was going to hang out with Naosoroshii-chan." Madoka turned to Juudai expectantly.

The orangette sighed. "Yeah, we're going to head to the restaurant for a study session."

"Oh, well, hope that goes well for the two of you."

"Madoka-chan! Sayaka-chan! Homura-chan! Juudai-chan!" Mami stopped next to the group of girls. "What are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to the hospital while they're going to the Asurito Restaurant. What about you?"

Mami opened her mouth to respond, but before any words could come out Amai walked behind her, grabbing her arm and guiding her towards the school entrance.

"I'm taking her with me. I hope you don't mind!" The brunette called out, before the pair disappeared around the corner.

After a few moments of silence among the group, Juudai sighed. "She did ask for that date."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Café ~

"I cannot BELIEVE you did that." Mami huffed. She and Amai were seated in a café five blocks from the school. Mami recognized it as she frequented as a child with her family. A feeling of nostalgia fell over her chest.

Amai browsed over her menu a second time. "Do you remember when we came here a lot when we were little? The two of us shared this same chocolate cake here. Look." She leaned forward and pointed to the picture of a triple chocolate cake.

Mami hummed. "Oh, yes, I remember. This place had really good green tea as well. Is that why you brought me here – the nostalgia?"

"Yes and no. I come here often, but..." Amai trailed off as her eyes shifted to the left.

Mami followed her gaze and felt irritation growing. "...Amai."

The brunette hummed nervously, slowly turning back to her date.

"...After practically kidnapping me from the school and forcing this date on me, you're seriously eying other girls in front of me?"

Amai's face reddens. "I can't help it she has good legs!"

"Right." Mami picked up her menu back up.

Their server returned to their table to take their order. Mami decided on the chocolate cake while Amai picked strawberry shortcake.

"So what have you been doing the last few years?" Amai started.

Mami thought about it for a moment. "Well, I've mostly been focusing on school."

"And fighting monsters?"

"Are we really going to be talking about this here?" Mami glared at her.

"We don't, but I'd appreciate it if you're honest with me." Amai's smile appeared coy.

Mami looked away from her, opting to look around the restaurant. She noticed there were a few other couples sitting around them, some from their school, and others from the secondary school. The majorities of the customers were students.

"Hey, Mami?"

The blonde's head snapped back to her 'date'.

Amai opened her mouth to say something, but it snapped close a few times before she spoke at last. "If you need any help with this magical girl business, just let me know."

"What, becoming a magical girl?" Mami said hotly.

"If you need help in school or at home."

Mami blinked in surprise.

"Look, I'm not going to agree with you about being a magical girl or not. I'm not even sure I know what I want my wish to be. I'm just saying, if you need help with your everyday LIFE, because you know that is still a thing, you can come to me."

"I..." Mami didn't know what to say.

"Oh, hold on one moment." Amai pulled out her phone, fiddling with it for a moment before returning it to her bag. "That was Nagisa."

"Where is she?"

"At my place. She's mostly been wandering around since she became a magical girl, with no place to stay."

"Are you serious?" Mami looked horrified.

"That's what she told me. She has no place to go, so I offered her my place. Mom and Dad are working to get her into school, but until then, she's staying home. I was checking on her right now. Before I left – can you believe it? - she was raiding the fridge for cheese!" Amai cackled. "Mom was upset."

"I'd imagine." Mami joined her friend in laughing. "How's your mother doing, by the way?"

"Last I checked, she's okay. Dad had to go back to the restaurant to open it, but he was told Mom and the baby's doing well. They'll probably be letting her out soon."

"Are you excited about being an older sister?"

"Hell yeah! I can't wait for them to be born. I'm going to spoil them like a younger sibling has never been spoiled." Amai grinned.

Their waitress came back with their sweets. Both girls thanked her, asking for another round of drinks as they prepared to dig into their treats.

"I'm sure you'll be a good sister, Amai."

"I know I will. Come on, these cakes aren't going to eat themselves."

Mami giggled before taking a bite of her chocolate cake. She hummed in pleasure. "Delicious."

"Tell me about it." Amai smiled around her spoon.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

"I think now's a good time to take a break." Juudai spoke up, stretching her arms behind her.

Madoka sighed, leaning back in her seat. Homura rubbed her writing wrist.

"You guys have a lot of homework." Xavier commented from his end of the table. He already finished his homework a while ago and was doing his best to help Juudai with hers. "I don't think I want to go to middle school."

"It's going to happen one day." Juudai pecked Xavier's forehead, the little boy giggling.

"The teachers really are pushing us this week," Madoka whimpered.

"A-at least we can compare notes," Homura input. "It really helps a lot to see your version of today's lesson."

"I can say the same about you, Akemi-chan. I really didn't get what Miss Saotome was saying when she was explaining the formula."

"O-oh, that was easy..."

Juudai looked at the clock in her room. "You girls want to go out for a moment and get some snacks?" A chorus of agreements followed her question. "We could all use a break."

The sounds of the rushing footsteps came from the direction of the door, and Nagisa's head appeared on the side. "Can I come with you?"

"Did you finish the chores Amai assigned you?" Juudai asked without looking her way.

"May~be."

"You need to stay then."

Nagisa groaned. "Come on! I'm bored! Can you please make an exception? I've been stuck here since last night! Please?"

"You need to make up from the treats you helped yourself to."

"Aw, come on, Nao-chan," Madoka pleaded. "It's just for a little while. She deserves a break, too."

Juudai hummed thoughtfully. "You make a good point." She turned to the white haired girl. "Fine, I'll treat you."

Nagisa gave a shout of joy as the others finished cleaning up. Xavier stacked the books to one corner of the table while Sayaka and Madoka organized the papers together. Juudai entered the kitchen for a moment.

"Uncle, we'll be leaving for a little bit."

Mr. Asurito turned away from the stove to give Juudai his attention. "Oh, be careful, all right? And have fun!"

Juudai chuckled. "We'll do. Would you like us to bring you anything back?"

"Whatever you feel you'd want to bring back. Just don't stay out too late if you're taking Xavier with you."

"Understood. You heard the man, Xavy."

Xavier rolled his eyes playfully. "Wouldn't want to be sent to the corner."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

Once the group stepped outside, Nagisa immediately ran off in glee, shouting her freedom. Madoka giggled; Homura turned to face her with a smile of her own. Juudai held her brother's hand , leading the way down the road. The five of them threw suggestions on where to go before deciding where to go.

"We all know sweets are the best study foods!" Nagisa exclaimed.

"Yeah, because you were studying," Xavier commented.

The white-haired girl turned to the boy with her cheeks puffed up. "Nao-neechan! Say something to him!"

"Xavier, she's been inside all day. I think she deserves a little r&amp;r."

"Yes, sis."

Nagisa blew him a raspberry. Xavier reached forward to tug her hair. With a cry, Nagisa turned around to slap his hand away. Xavier let go of Juudai's hand to run from the girl when she gave chase. Madoka and Homura gave a laugh.

"They're having fun." Juudai couldn't resist the smile on her face.

It made the orangette slightly nervous to see her brother running ahead of her, far from her, but she needed to give him his space as well. He needed to spend time with kids his age. When he started to laugh after Nagisa managed to smack him lightly against his arm, Juudai's heart began to feel lighter.

She did eventually call the two of them back to her when they ran past a turn. More people appeared on the sidewalks, and she definitely didn't want to lose sight of them now. Their destination drew near.

Juudai held the door open for her friends to get inside. She was about to step inside; something moved at the corner of her eye. She turned to look. Her eyes widen.

**-Inside the store-**

Nagisa stopped in her tracks, unintentionally ignoring what Xavier said as he spoke. She turned her head right, eyes widening.

'_Not now!_' The young magical girl thought desperately.

"Nagisa, is something wrong?"

She snapped her head in Madoka's direction.

"You look pale. Are you all right?"

"Yes." Nagisa found it easy to lie to the girl, even if she felt bad for it. "Nao-neechan isn't here yet."

"Yeah, I'm getting worried for Juudai-chan as well." Homura commented. Xavier looked worriedly at the door.

"Hold on, I'll go get her!" Nagisa ran towards the door.

**-Outside-**

When she stepped outside, Nagisa saw Juudai standing a few feet away from the door. And next to her...

"Who are you?" Nagisa studied the girl.

A raven with long hair stared back at her with a blank expression. She wore the same uniform Juudai, Madoka and Homura wore. However, Nagisa took one look at her left hand and she knew exactly what this girl did in her pastime.

"Nagisa Momoe."

"How do you know my name?" Every instinct in the little girl's body flared.

"You need to head over to the hospital. A witch has appeared."

Nagisa blinked in confusion.

Juudai's eyes, on the other hand, widen in horror. "Wait, the hospital? But...!"

The raven glanced her way, and Nagisa thought she saw a look of concern on her face. "Don't worry. We'll take care of it. Momoe-san, can I please count on you?"

Nagisa truly wanted to tell the girl no, but she couldn't remember a time she's seen Juudai express something beyond disinterest, bare enthusiasm and faint affection for the people she love. Something inside of the girl told her she needed to get a move on and resolve this problem.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Café ~

"_Mami!_"

The blonde sat up straight in her seat when she heard Kyubey. "_What is it?"_

"_A witch has appeared!_"

Mami's heart nearly stopped as she shot out of her seat, ignoring Amai as the brunette attempted to draw her attention back to her. She cursed her inattentiveness; how is it this witch managed to avoid her sense? The presence she felt when she reached out with her magic came north. Mami turned in that direction and thought what lied in that direction.

Her blood went cold.

"Amai."

The brunette looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I need to step out for a moment."

Amai looked at her suspiciously. "This isn't some excuse to go fight some of those witches, right?" She chuckled lightly, believing she hit the mark.

Mami didn't laugh. "Please, stay here."

The urgent way she spoke gave Amai pause, her smile falling from her face. Mami held her gaze a moment longer before turning to leave.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital ~

Sayaka doesn't know why, but something felt off. For roughly ten minutes she and Kyousuke spoke, trading jokes and gossip. Today appeared to be one of his good days; he held a smile on his face the moment she stepped into his room, and she couldn't resist the smile forming on her face. Her face had to have turned red.

She was sitting next to his bed when the feeling in the air CHANGED. She sat up straighter in her seat, looking left and right before returning her gaze to Kyousuke.

"Is something wrong, Sayaka?"

"O-oh, nothing, I just thought of something," Sayaka provided. "I probably should be leaving soon. I got homework I gotta catch up on."

"Same here. Hospitalized and everything, and my parents aren't letting up on my studies." Kyousuke's face fell a little at this confession.

An idea crossed Sayaka's mind. "...Hey, how about we work together?"

"Hmm?"

"On our homework. We're in the same class and everything, so we can probably help each other out a whole lot!"

"Huh... That's a great idea!" The smile returned. "So does that mean you're not leaving yet?"

"Not to go home anyway. Let me just take care of a little chore, and I'll be right back. Can you watch my stuff for me while I'm gone?"

Kyousuke nodded his head and Sayaka turned to leave the room. Once she closed the door behind her and she was a few yards away from it, she rushed as quickly as she could to the stairs. The air still felt charged. Sayaka tried to imagine where she could find the source of this disorder.

By utter chance, when she ran outside the hospital, she turned her head right and she saw it. A black cocoon against the white wall, anyone else would have confused it for a hive of some kind, but Sayaka knew the instant her eyes landed on it, this was bad news.

She pulled her cell phone out, snapping a shot. Sayaka looked up Mami's number and sent the picture her way with a text: '_Mami! I found this on the hospital's wall! Do you know what it is?_' The obvious answer was bad news but she waited for Mami's response as patiently as she could.

When she received the response, her fears were confirmed. 'Sayaka, that_ is a witch's egg. And from the looks of it, it's about to hatch. I advise you to stay away from it and take shelter. I'll be there as soon as I can._'

Sayaka let out a sigh of relief. So Mami will be here soon...

The sound of cracking pierced the air. Sayaka's heart skipped a beat. Slowly, her head turned towards the witch egg.

And then darkness.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital (Nagisa's group) ~

Nagisa arrived at the hospital and drew a sharp breath. "Oh, no..."

Where the hospital stood, she saw the blurry outline of a labyrinth.

To her side, the long-haired raven landed beside her. "We're too late." She breathed.

"We need to get inside." Nagisa's heart beaded heavily against her chest. "We need to save whoever we can."

The girl stayed silent for a moment. "No, you find who you can. One of us needs to locate the witch or there will be casualties."

Nagisa hesitated. "Are you sure you can do it on your own?"

"It's fine. Between the two of us you will have the easiest time taking the civilians out of here. And I'm the best option in taking out the witch." Her voice tilted to a low tone with her last words.

Nagisa gulped at her dark tone.

She hopped towards the hospital, her magic transforming her dress into her magical girl outfit. Her weapon came into existence last, her grip tightening reassuringly around it. When she landed on her feet, Nagisa blew into the trumpet. The bubbles flew forth, an incantation within each globule. She hopped on top of one of the bubbles, willing her magic to push the water bead upward.

With the witch's influence, the hospital's structure was being warped by the labyrinth's space. A flick of her little hand, and Nagisa pushed a small group of bubbles forward as a barrier of sorts as she floated inside. Almost instantly, a few of her bubbles burst as they made contact with a set of candles hovering in the air. The sound not only frightened Nagisa, but a series of bangs rang out courtesy of several doors flying open.

Instead of remaining still, Nagisa bounded towards one of the open doors. Inside, she found a small group of people floating in the air. Upon investigating them, she realized they were unconscious – but alive.

"Thank goodness..." She whispered under her breathe. She covered the small group with a giant bubble, sending the orb out the way she came. "Onto the next."

She travelled through a few more rooms, rescuing more people from the witch's influence. As she went through another room, she stopped in her tracks, eyes widening.

"Sayaka?!" The blunette groaned as Nagisa shook her lightly. Her blue eyes slowly flickered open. "Are you all right?"

"I... mmhmm..." The girl struggled to remain awake, but Nagisa couldn't afford to waste any more time here. She placed the girl within the safety of a bubble and was about to send it out when Sayaka reacted again.

"Hey... wait..." The blue-haired girl reached a hand out limply. "Kyousuke is still here..."

"Where did you last see him?"

"The top most floor..."

Sayaka looked like she wanted to speak more, but Nagisa heard enough. She shushed the older girl, pushing the bubble forward towards the exit. Once the bubble was out of her sight, she continued forward.

The hospital doors were spread out and floating in space. A set of stairs led upwards. Nagisa jumped to the closest stairs and began running to the next door. Before she entered it, a series of shots rang through the air. She yelped, ducking on instinct.

A door over her head blew open and a blur flew out. Her head snapped up, and she caught the raven haired girl from before flew out, gun blazing in her hand.

"Nagisa! Up here! There's a civilian!"

Nagisa wasted no time, gathering her magic to her feet to help her sprint the rest of the way up. She skidded in front of the destroyed door, ignoring the sound of gunfire behind her as she stepped inside.

A boy lay on a hospital bed, afloat in the air. He appeared oblivious to the situation around him, eyes closed in sleep. Beneath the bed was a cause for concern; familiars, black and white in color, in the shapes of chess pieces circled around the floating object. They hop around, their movements causing the ground to tremble.

"Hey! Over here!"

Nagisa held her weapons before her as some of the minions turned to her. The first one to move towards her received a face full of bubbles. She jumped back when a survivor attempted to stomp on her, pressing down where she once stood.

With a sweep of her arm, a whip of bubbles spewed from her trumpet and tripped several of the chess pieces to the ground. The bubbles split from the line, each bubble hovering over a minion, slamming down and popping over them to deliver a burst of damaging, magically induced pressure.

The other pieces fell quickly to her and Nagisa was left with the boy on the bed. A bubble formed beneath her feet and it carried her over to the bed. Another sweep of her hand and a bubble protectively surrounded the boy.

She flicked her hand forward, the bubble following after her as she left the room. Outside the dimension of the room she previously visited, the main hub was a destroyed mess. Several of the candles and doors were shattered, pieces of wax, wood and stone floating in the space of the dimension. When Nagisa lifted her head, she saw Homura shooting across the air, firing bullets after bullets towards the king-like witch.

One carefully aimed bullet looked like it would hit its target, but the witch stopped in mid-air and dashed towards a still intact door. '_It's hiding!_' Nagisa realized with a start. She lifted her trumpet, a spell on her lips when Homura interrupted her.

"Don't! You have more important things to worry about!"

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze; where Nagisa saw the long haired stranger in one section of the room, she was suddenly across the room and entering through the door.

Despite what the raven told her, Nagisa remained standing there, wondering what had happened and what would happen next. Her thoughts were answered in the next moment when the door blew open. The witch came out flying, thrown against the stairs with the long haired raven on her tail.

"GO!"

Nagisa didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital Entrance ~

By the time the labyrinth faded away, Mami arrived. "Am I too late?" She saw a number of people – patients and hospital personnel alike – lingering outside. The people spoke in a hush that managed to sound loud in the still quiet following the aftermath. "Kyubey, are you sure Nagisa was here?"

The Incubator hoped on top of a ledge, looking down at her. "_I'm sure. I could feel her presence this way, along with one other._"

Mami didn't care about the other presence; she was more concerned on the well-being of the people here. She ran forward, eyes overlooking everyone as she sought a familiar face in the crowd. Her eyes widen when she found them.

"Mr. Asurito!"

The man slowly turned his head her way as she approached.

Her heart nearly stopped at the look of utter despair on his face. "Mr. Asurito...?" The man sobbed and launched forward as sobs overtook him. Mami reached her arms towards him to hold him up. "Mr. Asurito!"

"My wife..."

And it was there that Mami's heart went cold.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital Hallway ~

She didn't know what happened. Amai struggled to hold back a sob and failed. Why even bother? She clearly still had more tears to let go.

The day started out so well. She finally managed to lure her long time crush out on a date. The two of them were having a relatively good time, and then the little rat's voice came into their heads and Mami left. The look on her face filled Amai with worry but she didn't ask. Mami clearly wished to keep the magical aspect of her life separate from the norm and Amai, for all her personal feelings about it, respected that. It was something she witnessed so many times on Juudai the first year she moved into the restaurant. Now she was seeing it on Mami and she didn't know whether she should be straightforward about it or give her some time.

Now Amai wasn't so sure. If she had been true to her feelings, if she had spoken her mind, if she had known Mami was heading towards the hospital, would it have made a difference? She could've gone to the hospital, helped both Mami and Nagisa with the witch... helped her mother.

Her father called her with the news. Her heart dropped to her stomach and she raced for the hospital as fast as her legs could take her.

Arriving, she didn't know where to look first. The crowd of confused people lingered at the front of the damaged hospital and Amai couldn't see past them. Just when she was beginning to get frustrated, a voice called her name. She turned and to her relief saw Mami. Her joy quickly dropped when she saw the grim look on her face.

"Please... follow me."

The two of them walked in silence, the setting sun lighting the halls in the building. They took the stairs, seeing as the elevator machinery was out of commission. Their destination came in sight.

Amai knew where to go. She ran from Mami's side, to where she last saw her mother. She stopped in front of the door, unwilling to open it. Her hand shook in front of her, still near the door.

"Your mother went into labor as a result of the witch's interference." Mami spoke. Amai didn't even look at her. "The doctors are doing everything they can, but..."

'_Don't say it. DON'T._' The brunette thought in sorrow, trying her best not to let the mask on her face fall.

"They're not sure the baby will make it."

A sob tore through Amai. They remained in silence for a while before the door opened. Mr. Asurito stepped outside, turning his head towards the two girls. Amai looked at her father with wide eyes.

He shook his head, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Asurito." Mami cried.

As the two of them dissolved in tears, Amai walked away.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital Rooftop ~

On the roof, Kyubey sat on top of the highest perch. Amai looked up soon after she walked into the area, her tear stained face set in hard determination.

"I have a wish I want to make."


	7. Chapter 7: Desicions

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

**Also, there will be more Magical Girl action on the next chapter. If there is anything we need to improve on, please let us know! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 7: Decisions ~

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

The witch Mami stalked appeared to be a familiar newly reborn. It had been easy for her to track it once she noticed the witch's kiss on a civilian. She succeeded in leading the person to a safer place before following the signature on the mark towards its origins.

Even the labyrinth was barely formed; Mami could tell the newly formed witch had trouble maintaining the space. She slipped in, rifles at the ready to shoot down any threats in sight. The utter lack of minions further proved the age of the witch.

It didn't take long for her to reach the center of the labyrinth. The witch raised its large head to Mami once she drew near. As she took aim, her shot missed when the witch dodged with surprising speed. She pursued it across the room, firing bullet after bullet. Each shot managed to nick various sides, slowing it down enough for her to catch up.

A cannon-like rifle appeared on her arm and she aimed it face first at the witch. "_Tiro Diretto!_"

The witch erupted into dust.

As the labyrinth slowly disintegrated, Mami returned to her normal guise. No grief seed, but it was worth it knowing the people would be safe for another day.

"_Mami_."

"Oh, hello, Kyubey." The blonde smiled at the white critter. "Is everything all right? Are there any other witches in the area?"

"_Not at all. You've been doing a great job maintaining the peace._"

"Thank you, Kyubey."

"_And if any other witches show up, it's all right. Now that we have four magical girls in the area, the city is much safer than it's ever been!_"

"Yes, it is a bit comforting knowing that there are other girls." Mami kept her true opinions to herself, though.

Then her mind blanked. "Wait a minute... Kyubey?"

"_Yes, Mami?_"

"Did you say 'four'?"

"_I did._"

"What do you mean? There are only three magical girls!"

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

"Mom! This way!" Amai practically ran into the kitchen ahead of her mother.

"Slow down, Sweetie!" The older woman smiled. In her arms she cradled a small bundle. "I don't want to move too fast and wake Jayden up."

"Oh, right." Amai moved back to her mother, hands covering her mouth as she looked down at her little brother.

The boy was asleep, his eyes closed and nose twitching slightly. At that moment, he yawned, mouth widening as he let out a little yet firm breath of air. Both Amai and her mother cooed at that sight.

"Are you two all right?"

"Oh, coming, Dad!" Amai called out softly. She held her arm out, urging her mother to move forward towards the kitchen. Her father directed the woman onto a chair as soon as they entered the kitchen.

"I really wish the two of you would quit babying me." The woman sat herself down all the same, a gentle smile on her face as she watched her family.

"Honey, can you blame us? The doctors said you and our son weren't going to make it. Of course, Amai and I are worried about you! I'm surprised they let you out so soon." Mr. Asurito fretted.

"Well, the two of us are fine. They said so. Come on, Amai! Tell your father he's being silly!"

"Yeah, Dad. Stop being a big dumb-dumb!"

"So, both of my ladies insist on teasing me. All right, I get it." Mr. Asurito huffed playfully, turning his head away as his wife shook in laughter.

Amai laughed along with them, all the while staring at the mark resting on her left middle finger.

A knock at the door silenced the moment. "Come in!" called out Mr. Asurito.

The door slowly opened, and Juudai and Xavier walked in. "Mrs. Asurito?" Xavier asked. The boy walked in front of Juudai as the two approached the Asuritos.

"Yes, dear?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Oh, everyone's asking me this!" Mrs. Asurito giggled. "I'm feeling wonderful, you two! We're sorry to leave you alone for a little bit. Things were a little chaotic at the hospital."

"No, it's fine, ma'am." Juudai spoke. "It's better to focus on yourself and the child first and foremost. We were really worried about you there for a while." The orangette leveled her gaze on Amai, who promptly turned her head to avoid the look. Juudai raised a brow, silently willing Amai to know that this was far from over.

"Would you like to hold Jayden, you two?" Mrs. Asurito held the child out to them.

Xavier shook his head fiercely. "No thank you, ma'am."

"Me neither."

"Aw, come on you two!"

"I'm going to start dinner." Mr. Asurito announced before leaning down to kiss his wife on the cheek. "Is there anything in particular you'd like, honey?"

"I think technically I'm still on my diet for the baby's sake. Just make sure it isn't too greasy or fatty."

"You got it, dear."

"Amai, when are you inviting your friends over again?" Mrs. Asurito started as her husband went to work on dinner.

"Ah, well..." The brunette drifted off, not sure how to answer the question. She looked at Juudai quickly for help.

The orangette rolled her eyes slightly.

"We've been busy with work and classes lately." In the end, Juudai decided to help Amai after all. "All of us are mostly in different classes, so it's kind of difficult to meet up. And considering what's been happening for the last few days, we REALLY couldn't afford to meet up. And now with little Jayden here I don't know if we'll be bringing them over anytime soon."

"Oh, no! You should bring them over. I'm sure Jayden will love to meet them!"

"I suppose that's true..." Juudai giggled a bit.

The door flew open again as Nagisa stepped into the room with a cheerful cry. She took a seat next to Xavier, and Amai joined her not long after. Juudai rolled her eyes again as she took the seat next to Amai.

Amai breathed a sigh of relief. She dodged a bullet, though Juudai chose to ignore her in favor of speaking with Mrs. Asurito. Nagisa and Xavier started a conversation that involved the boy's schoolwork and Nagisa's love for cheese.

"I'm sure it has to be squared." Xavier mentioned.

"I'm sure cheese wouldn't look nice squared." Nagisa huffed.

"There are such things as cheese sandwich slices."

"Don't care. Auntie Mom!"

"Yes, Nagisa dear?" Amai's mother responded, turning away from feeding Jayden.

"Will we be having cheesecake?"

"You'd have to ask your Uncle Dad!" The two of them turned to Mr. Asurito expectedly.

"Hey, I'm still trying to make the main course here. And if neither one of you eats it, you can forget about dessert!"

Now everyone was distracted by the thought of sweets – everyone except Amai and Juudai. The brunette turned to the orangette, accepting her fate of being questioned. "Hey."

Juudai hummed in acknowledgement.

"Are you mad at me?" Amai whispered.

Juudai sighed. "I'm not mad at you. I suppose the better description would be irritated since you chose to jump the gun at this." She turned to look at Amai in the eye. "Ultimately, this is your decision. I can't tell you if you are right or wrong. The only thing I can say is I hope you're satisfied with your decision because you don't need me to tell you there's no turning back."

Amai followed her words with a hum.

"Something had happened to your mother and Jayden, huh? I don't expect an answer. From the looks of it, your mother barely remembers what happened in the hospital. What with there being a witch and all. It does seem awfully convenient he was right there to wish your troubles away."

"Well, it was either that or leave Jayden and my mom the way they were!" Amai hissed.

"Snap at me all you want, it doesn't change the fact I think y'all walked into some sort of scam. Jayden could have died; I get that, but is it really worth it is what I'm getting at. We don't know what that creature wants from us. He brought a mother and child from the brink of death, Amai...!"

"And I get that, but why do I feel like everyone is trying to tell me I chose wrong?"

"Have you told someone other than me?"

"No."

"Then forget about it. I'm not telling you how you did wrong; I'm just reminding you that there might be consequences... but remember what you did saved not just one but two lives."

The two of them turned to look at Amai's mother and the newborn child, watching the woman bring the child to snuggle at her chest.

Amai smiled. "Yeah."

**-Juudai's Room-**

Nagisa looked up at the night sky with a smile on her face. "This is nice."

"It sure is." Juudai held a telescope to her eye. "Xavier, do you see anything?"

The boy had a telescope of his own as well. "I think I see Pegasus. I need to take notes and pictures! Juudai, could you help me find my notebook and camera?"

"Sure thing. Here, Nagisa." Juudai held her telescope towards the white-haired girl. "Take a look and see for yourself."

"Okay!" Big sister and little brother stepped back inside to search around, and Nagisa turned back to gaze at the sky. She didn't know any of the stars or constellations but it was still interesting to see the cluster that struggled to be seen in the city lights.

Her eyes did wander south in a few moments, and Nagisa looked over the houses at the distance. She stopped her gaze at one particular road, where she saw a figure darting through the shadows.

It took a moment for Nagisa to identify the magical signature. "_Miss Mami!_"

"_Is Amai there?_" The girl called in greeting.

"_Um, she is, but she's busy helping her mother._"

"_You go tell her that she needs to step out. NOW_."

Nagisa's arm descended to her side, her eyes staring wide at the rapidly approaching figure. "_What did Amai-neechan do?_"

"_You know what she did, Nagisa-chan! Now send her out!_"

"_I'm not doing that._"

Nagisa was surprised at how hard her voice sounded, even in her mind. From the distance she could see Mami falter and stop. "_Nagisa-chan?_"

"_I'm not doing that. I apologize, Miss Mami, but it has been a long day. Not just for Amai, but everyone. That being said, I also don't think you are in the right mind to confront Amai-neechan. I'd recommend you come back in the morning, when you've had the chance to cool off your head._"

"_Nagisa-chan!_"

"_Tomoe-chan, please. Everyone in this household is getting used to the new addition. The last thing they need is for you to come knocking at the door and scaring everyone. Or worse; waking up the baby._"

Mami thought about it. In all honesty, she wanted to sneak into Amai's room to comfort her. However, two things were holding her back. Firstly, Amai might take her intrusion the wrong way. Secondly, it IS late, and her visit might end up complicating manners. And thirdly, she did not want to spite Nagisa Momoe. The blonde knew little of the fellow magical girl; other than she was younger compared to her and had been fighting witches for a week at least. She's already made enough enemies of other magical girls; she didn't need to add another one to the list.

In the end, Mami relented. "_I'll be here first thing in the morning. Rather you choose to let her know or not is up to you._"

With that Mami turned away, ready to go home. Instead of using her magic to help her reach home faster, she chose to walk, hoping it would help her start the process of cooling off.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Park ~

Halfway home, Mami stopped to take a look around. She stood in the center of a park, but that wasn't why she stopped.

"I know you're there. You might as well come out." Mami spoke out.

From the shadows, the blonde heard the heels clicking towards her. She turned to see a raven with long hair walk up to her.

"You're angry, and rightfully so." The stranger spoke.

"Oh, and this is being pointed out to me by a complete stranger." Mami grumbled. "Please do not speak about me like you know me."

The girl remained quiet for a little bit before speaking again. "I cannot pretend that, however, I still must speak for Miss Asurito. She did what she thought was best."

Mami remained quiet.

"You were nowhere near the hospital when the witch attacked." The girl passed a hand through her long hair. "Some fates just cannot be changed."

"It seems you did not understand me the first time I spoke." Mami spoke, her voice chilly. "As you are a complete stranger, I'd appreciate it if you didn't go speaking of personal matters with me. Your opinion is completely invalid to me."

"And that's where you are wrong. I know at least two other girls in your immediate group of friends who wish to become magical girls. While you may have not prevented Miss Asurito from making a contract, you can prevent the others."

At those words, Mami stepped back defensively. "...How much do you know about us?"

"Enough to know that the life of a magical girl is not as easy as we thought it was. The price we pay to have our wishes granted is great."

"Really now?"

"Yes. And considering how you're reacting right now with Amai Asurito, I must warn you: do not let Madoka Kaname, Sayaka Miki... and Homura Akemi make a contract."

Mami gazed at the girl in confusion. The girl was not in her magical girl attire; the blonde sensed no trace of magic directly coming off her. For the moment, she wasn't a visible threat; however, Mami refused to let her guard down to the newcomer.

"Are you afraid there will be more competition? I must say, that attitude is rather poor." Mami smirked. "There are already four magical girls in this town alone. Counting myself, Nagisa and now Amai, that makes you the fourth."

The girl gave no answer to her accusation.

"Tell me, who are you exactly? How long have you've been here? What do you know about us? About my friends and me?"

"I can't really answer that easily."

"I see. Then you can understand when I say that I cannot trust your words. I have to ask you stay away from us." Mami put her foot forward, a frown on her face. "If you dare lay a hand on any of my friends, I will put an end to you."

The raven nodded her head and turned away. "Understood. Don't say nobody warned you, Mami Tomoe." She disappeared after that.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Amai was the first to step out of the house, waiting for everyone else to step out. As she past the kitchen she threw a greeting to her mother, father, Jayden and Little Brother.

"Judy! Hurry up!" She called out to the window above her.

"Shut up! I'll be there when I'll be there!" Juudai poked her head out of the window to shout.

Xavier's head joined her a moment later. "It takes time to be fabulous, Amai! You know that!"

"Okay, you two, be fabulous! I'll be waiting for ya!" Amai giggled, turning on the spot to lean against the wall as she waited. Her eyes stayed shut for a few seconds before they opened.

She yelped and jumped to the side. "Mami!"

"You said my name right for once." The blonde sassed. One of her brows was lifted over the other; her face clearly read, 'You are in trouble, missy'.

Amai gulped. "Well, uh... It's a nice day today, huh?"

"Don't change the subject. You know what I'm here for."

"I wasn't changing the subject. I was lifting the mood!"

"Why did you do it?"

"...Do what?"

"Amai." The brunette lifted her head to take in the strained look on Mami's face. "Stop it. I know you're far more perceptive than that. The very thing I spoke with you about yesterday."

Amai's hands fisted at her side, her lips trembling as she struggled to find the words she needed. "...Mami, you don't understand! My mom and brother would've died if I hadn't done anything!"

Mami's face twisted. "Amai, I do understand that, but you must know you can't make a contract with Kyubey and not expect to stay on the sidelines! You're a magical girl now; this isn't fun and games. You have to risk your life now to protect others! You made your wish so you further your time with them, but you'll never know when something will happen to you out there! You...!"

The door flew open; Nagisa walked out to see Mami looming over Amai, the brunette leaning away from the blonde in her fury. Both girls turned to look at the newcomer in shock.

Nagisa crossed her arms, stamping her foot on the ground and looking at Mami with puffed cheeks. "I see you didn't waste any time."

"I... Good morning, Momoe-chan." Mami bowed respectfully. The blonde turned back to the older girl. "Amai, if it's all right with you, I'd like to walk to school with you."

The invitation alone was enough to make Amai forget the anger Mami was directing towards her. Amai's heart began to race in excitement. "Really?!"

Mami's face did not look amused. "Really."

A window flew open and another head popped out. Instead of sticking to the floor, however, the individual threw themselves out the window. They cried out as gravity sent them straight towards the pair of girls at the restaurant front. Mami turned her head upwards first, eyes widening and showing the first sign of emotions since she arrived – fear and surprise.

"OH MY GOODNESS!"

Mami's cry snapped Amai to attention; her head whipped up to see Xavier heading their way _at rapid speed_. Amai threw herself back just in time to catch the orange haired boy in her arms, and sending the both of them to the ground. Amai grunted in pain, remaining very still as the seconds ticked by.

Xavier recovered first, shaking his head and looking at his savior. "Oh my goodness! Amai, are you all right?"

Amai coughed out a response.

Juudai poked her head from the window. "XAVIER, YOU COULD HAVE BROKEN YOUR LEG!"

"But I didn't!" He shot back

"Amai, are you all right?" Nagisa kneeled next to the brunette.

"Don't worry. Just give her five minutes and she'll bounce back up." Juudai insisted.

The pancaked girl weakly held out her hands towards Juudai, all of her fingers splayed out.

"Make that ten minutes."

"Amai." Mami's voice was actually laced in worry. She helped Xavier off of the brunette before pushing her up into a sitting position.

Xavier and Nagisa exchanged glances, shifting their looks back towards Amai. "I'm SO sorry, Amai. Thank you for catching my fall." He bowed.

"Hey, no need for that." Amai put up a smile, petting the boy on the head. "I gotta say, that's a whole new meaning of falling for someone, though."

"Sorry."

Truth be told, Amai was all for the chain of events; she got to see for herself that Mami can fret over her... Right now, Mami was angry, but give it a few minutes, and Amai was confident she could work her magic on the girl. A confident grin appeared at the thought.

"I'm glad to see you are all right, then." Mami commented drily. She faced Xavier, an anxious crawling on her face. "Good morning, Naosoroshii-kun."

"Good morning, Tomoe-chan."

"So are we going for that walk or not?" Amai took the opportunity to pounce, immediately lashing onto Mami's arm.

"Can I come with you, too?" Nagisa plastered herself to Amai's other side.

Mami sighed through her nose. Okay, it wasn't so bad. Her edges were still shot – she hadn't calmed down, not by a long shot – especially after the events of the night before, the forefront of the hurricane being Nagisa herself, however, Mami wasn't going to turn her nose from the little girl.

"Is it all right if I come with you, too?" Xavier asked.

"I don't see why not." Amai chipped in.

"But..." Mami didn't get to put any words in before Amai was calling out to Juudai.

The orangette returned to the window. "You want to go walking to school with us?!"

Juudai shrugged. "Give me a few minutes."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: School Walkway ~

Once everyone was outside, the girls along with Xavier were on their way.

"Have you ever thought about going to school along with Xavier, Nagisa-chan?" Juudai asked. She and Xavier held hands, the boy holding Nagisa's hand in his other.

"It does sound interesting. I don't mind helping Asurito-kaasan and Asurito-tousan in the kitchen, but sometimes it's kind of boring without you all in the house."

"It can't really be helped. Studying needs to be done and the younger people need to suffer." Amai gushed. "The older people, too. Miss Saotome seems to suffer outside of school, and I can't imagine that's a lot of fun with grading papers."

"I seriously think she blows up at every little thing." Juudai inputted. "If she would calm down and give the guy a chance, things wouldn't always suck for her."

"Yeah, but grown-up business is just that. Can't expect people to get along and accept one another at the first word." Mami glared at Amai as she spoke.

Amai gulped and withdrew within herself slightly.

They arrived at the elementary school. Xavier said his goodbyes to Amai and Mami before stopping in front of Nagisa. He leaned in a bit to whisper something to her. The white-haired girl gasped and took a step back. Xavier simply smiled and walked up to his sister, giving her a hug and accepting a kiss to his temples. With that he was off, waving to them as he ran into the school grounds.

"Well, I'll be taking my leave from here." Nagisa announced. She appeared slightly shaken. "I wouldn't want to walk far from home if I went with you all the whole way."

"All right. Be careful." With a hug and a temple kiss, Amai sent Nagisa off.

The remaining three girls resumed their walk. Juudai sensed something between Amai and Mami since the moment she noticed the blonde at the entrance of the restaurant. She quickened her steps, hoping to give them a semblance of privacy.

Mami realized what Juudai was doing and thanked her from under her breathe. She didn't acknowledge her at first, giving her a moment to gather her thoughts before she spoke.

Once Amai realized the two of them were mostly alone, she decided to start it off. "It was the best option at the time."

Amai wouldn't know it, but the word choices struck something within Mami. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Like hell I was going to let anything happen to Mom and Jayden when the rodent was giving me a choice." Amai snapped, anger actually breaking through on her face.

"And you expect me to leave it at just that? Amai, I warned you not to make a wish without thinking."

"Why the hell are you so adamant at keeping me from this?! It's not just you – Juudai said nearly the same thing!"

"Because she is correct! By making this wish, you must now devote yourself to hunting witches! If you had waited a little longer, your family might have pulled through."

"And if they hadn't?" The glare Amai sent to Mami was fierce.

"That is something we won't know now."

The two of them entered an uneasy silence; each of them glaring at the other from the corner of their eyes. Amai noticed Mami gritting her teeth.

Swallowing her anger, Amai threw out her question. "Why are YOU so devastated at the wish I made?"

Mami sighed, as she thought of her next words. "The wish that one makes for others are both selfless and self-damning. I respect how selfless your wish was, Amai, I truly do. But you actually had time to decide, to choose to ignore this, to wait for another sort of miracle. And you went ahead with it."

Amai's eyes widen in horror as Mami released a sob, tears peeking at the edges of her eyes. "Mami...!"

"I didn't want this for you! If I could prevent you from taking that step, I would do anything...!"

The hand she was reaching towards Mami withdrew near instantly. Anger emerging once again, Amai bit out. "What would you know about what I want?! You haven't kept in contact with me for years!"

The blonde whipped her head towards Amai, those tear-stricken eyes beholding her with surprise. The two of them remained like that for a few moments until Juudai's voice broke through to them. They turned to look at her.

"Morning, Homura." Juudai greeted warmly to their shy raven haired friend.

Amai noticed they were now standing in front of the apartment Homura lived in.

"Good morning, Juudai. Oh, Amai! I didn't see you over there. Oh, good morning, Tomoe-chan." Homura bowed to the blonde.

Mami returned the greeting, wiping at her face to rid it of her tears. With one last sniff, she put on a smile, her eyes shifting towards Amai for a moment before she focused ahead.

Amai herself shrugged the anger off of her, sealing it away deep inside for the time being. "Hey, Homy. Ready for school to deliver a butt-kicking to us?"

"No, not quite." Her comment did succeed in drawing a bit of a chuckle out of Homura. The pigtailed girl focused her gaze on Juudai. "Did you have any trouble with homework last night?"

"Nah, I found time to finish it. I even got to go stargazing the night before."

In face of the rare full smile on Juudai's face, Homura gasped excitedly. "That sounds amazing! What constellations did you see?"

As the two of them dwelled into conversation, the other two stole a glance at one another. Mami's face, still wet with tears, looked at Amai with aggravation while Amai's face held a mix confusion and frustration.

"Can you answer me something?" Amai threw out. She didn't wait for Mami to answer – not that she did. "How come you're fine with Homy being a magical girl but not me?"

"...Homura has time to effectively make her wish. Therefore, she could take her time deciding what her wish will be."

Amai threw her hands up in frustration. "I technically had time, too!"

"Kyubey saw potential in her."

"I think with him telling me I can make a wish, I have 'potential', too."

"You have a family, Amai! And now you'll be leaving a still, pleasant life behind due to this witch! You must now serve your wish; that is the price you pay for it!"

"And why is it better for Homura to do that, then?! Sayaka and Madoka, too! They most likely have families, too, and you're giving them the choice!"

Mami clicked her teeth. "It's not the same."

"Like hell it isn't!"

On the sidelines, Juudai tried her best to keep her attention on Homura, but the conversation beside her quickly turned into an argument and it worried her. Homura also looked concern, and helplessly looked at Juudai. A sense of unease settled over them all, and the orangette felt this was not the best way to start the day.

"Hey, girls, we should keep going." Whelp, not the best way to start that, but it certainly got their attention. "Homura wanted to see if we could run into Madoka and Sayaka along the way."

The mention of the other two girls brought arranged expressions on their faces – Mami stiffen while Amai looked like she was ready to hit something. Juudai walked towards them and placed herself in between the two girls.

"Homura wanted to talk about something with us, anyway." Juudai looked at her raven friend encouragingly.

"Ah, y-yes." They resumed walking as Homura spoke. "Madoka and I were wondering if we can meet up together this weekend. A lot of time we're given a lot of homework entering the weekend, so we wished to go over that."

"That sounds like a plan." Mami said after a moment.

"Also, Madoka missed you, Amai-chan." The brunette pointed at herself, eyes widen in surprise. "Yes, she wanted to see you again."

"Just throwing this out there, but Flatbread doesn't share the same sentiment?"

"Ah, w-well, I'm sure she'd still be interested."

"Nice save, Homura."

"I say it's a good idea," Juudai commented. "This weekend?"

"That'd be nice!" Homura cheered.

"What do you girls think?"

Mami hummed, looking at the two girls from the corner of her eyes. "I don't see why not. It'd be fun."

"Amai?" Juudai looked at her best friend.

The brunette grinned. "Yeah, let's do it! Where should we meet up?"

"Madoka had wanted it to be at her house." Homura answered. "She told me her parents have wanted to meet the rest of us, plus their house is bigger for all of us."

"All of us what...?"

Of course, Mami would realize. Homura chuckled shyly. "For a sleepover. That's the bonus thing aside from the study session."

Amai began to giggle; all eyes were on her in the immediate second. "The possibilities..."

"What are you thinking?" Juudai groaned.

"Nothing~"

"Um, girls, we need to get going or else we'll be late." Homura inputted.

"Let's be on our way, then." Mami chimed in. "After all, we still have our other friends to be with."

The whole entire time, Mami and Amai kept apart from each other – Amai on Juudai's side, and Mami next to Homura. While they talked among themselves, Amai and Mami purposefully avoided talking to one another. Or rather, Mami avoided talking with Amai. The brunette did what she could to start a conversation with her, but Amai was promptly ignored.

Eventually, they did approached Madoka and Sayaka, who were in the company of another girl.

"Well, hello there, gorgeous~" Amai made her move on the greenlette. The newcomer promptly gasped.

"Hey!" Sayaka slapped Amai on the side, causing her to yelp. "Don't harass Hitomi!"

"Good morning, Homura." Madoka chimed. Homura stammered a greeting, her face lightly dusted with a faint blush. "Nao-chan! Asurito-chan!"

"Morning."

"Madoka, your evil friend hit me," Amai pouted.

"Ignore her, Kaname-chan. She deserved it." Juudai glowered at Amai who shrugged. Madoka laughed.

"Greetings." The orangette waved at the greenlette.

"O-oh, good morning," Hitomi bowed. Juudai returned the gesture. "Are... all of you friends of Madoka-chan and Sayaka-chan?"

"I suppose you can say that."

"Madoka~"

"Good morning, Tomoe-chan~!" Madoka and Mami embraced one another for a bit.

"Well, shall we?"

"Were you looking for us?"

"We thought it might be a good idea to walk together to school from now on. Right, ladies?" Mami received a chorus of agreement.

The group of girls proceeded to make the rest of the way to school. Amai walked next to Mami. She turned to the blonde, a rare frown on her face. "We'll continue talking later."

Mami nodded grimly.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital ~

"Oh, are you listening to something new?"

Sayaka made the comment after the silence stretched out for too long. She was once again in the hospital visiting Kyousuke; the difference to this meeting from the previous one was his behavior.

'_Is he in a mood?_' The blunette wondered.

Before she entered the room, one of the hospital personnel warned her that Kyousuke had not been faring well today. She couldn't exactly blame him; if she was in his position, she would have been driven mad being here for so long.

He held his gaze towards the window, his headphones set in his ears. She could barely pick up the sound of the music.

"Oh, I recognize that!" Sayaka commented, remembering where she heard the arrangement before. "You know, it's thanks to you that I've heard of so many instrumentals. I can tell a good bit of them apart. Let me tell you; I've impressed a whole bunch of teachers at school with that. Especially once I plug in my music player and they hear my playlist. It's really awesome seeing the looks on their faces when that happens. And just you wait; once you start feeling better, you can get back to playing your violin, and your music will be-"

The boy took off his headphones and just leveled an unreadable expression at her.

Sayaka froze in place, her heart skipping a beat as her widen eyes fell on the boy. "Kyousuke...?"

"What? Do you take enjoyment out of this?" He asked.

"Wait, what? What do you mean?"

"Do you enjoy seeing me suffer?" He raised his voice a little higher with anger.

"N-no, of course not! I just wish for a speedy recovery, so you can get back to-!"

"It's not going to happen!"

He threw his music player against the wall. The impact caused Sayaka to flinch away from Kyousuke slightly. The boy started to tremble, barely managing to catch his bearings.

Kyousuke turned his head her way and Sayaka saw tears pooling around his eyes. And he explained everything: how the doctor came into his room and directly told him that he might as well give up, that there was no way to heal his hands. Technology has come far, but the fractures in his wrist were just so great, the doctor couldn't guarantee Kyousuke would ever be able to play the violin again.

When he finished with his explanation, the tears welled up full force, trailing down his face. His sobs were uncontrollable. "They just told me to give up, Sayaka. Just like that..."

His sobs were the loudest sounds in the room, his shoulders shaking from the strength of them. Sayaka watched him for a moment, her mind reeling at the revelation.

"There's no way I can ever get back to playing the violin; not unless magic and miracles were real."

Sayaka had moved up to the bed, her arms thrown onto Kyousuke's bed. One hand lingered on top of his. Her thumb rubbed the top of his hand in a faint form of comfort.

"Kyousuke, magic and miracles are real." She lifted her head, smiling at him in face of his despair. "Just have faith. Things will get better – you'll see."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Amai closed the restaurant for the night. Juudai was already in the process of cleaning the tables and putting away any of the remaining dishes.

"Hey, I've already wiped everything down in the back. Do you think you can sweep and mop?"

Juudai gave her the thumbs up.

Amai gave her a smile and walked out of the main floor. She took the stairs to the residential part of the building – after stopping by the kitchen for a moment – heading towards her room.

Once she stepped in, she locked the door. "Are you read- What the hell are you doing!?"

On Amai's bed, Nagisa looked up from the magazine she was reading. Amai took giant steps forward to snatch the mag from the little girl's hand.

"You CANNOT read this, you dig?" Amai reprimanded her.

Nagisa looked at her curiously. "Why not?"

"You need to be a little older to read this."

"And why's that?"

"Cause your mind is not ready to take this in."

"Why?"

"Nagisa." The girl shrunk into herself slightly. "Just don't." Amai sighed then straighten her face. "Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Nagisa leaned back with a serious look. "Did you bring it?"

Amai huffed and held out the thing she brought with her from the kitchen. "Here."

Nagisa snatched the plate, taking hold of the fork and cutting into a piece of the cheesecake Amai brought for her. The white-haired girl moaned once she placed the piece into her mouth. "So good~"

"It better be. I made it." Amai smugly stated.

She walked away from the younger girl, heading towards the window in her room and standing before it. Amai held her left hand to her chest, her right hand settling over to toy with the ring on her left.

"When you're done, we're heading out for a witch hunt." Amai declared. "So be ready."


	8. Chapter 8: Excursion, Wish, Apart

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

**From here on out, things are going to get serious with the girls.**

* * *

~ Chapter 8: Excursion, Wish, Apart ~

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Admittedly, a sense of nervous tension crept under Nagisa's skin.

It was always liked that when she went on the hunt for witches, and it never got easier. The first time she accepted her fate as a magical girl was not long after her wish was first realized, and the bittersweet sensation still remained to this day. As she shifted from normal girl to less so, her mind wandered to the first time she met Kyubey and the time afterwards.

She hated the little critter, wishing with all her heart she could step on him.

Her first witch hunt had been a horrible start. She hadn't even managed to kill the witch, that nervous she had been. At least she got away with her life; Nagisa assumed the witch had not been interested in her newly formed magical soul.

Sometime afterwards, she begun to focus more on controlling her magic, and her second witch hunt had been a lot more successful. The witch still didn't get to her, but she managed to save a life. How amazing she felt when she came to that powerful realization.

And then her third hunt.

The third time she indirectly met Mami Tomoe. Nagisa really shouldn't call it a hunt, since she had only sensed the witch and made her way towards the labyrinth; however, when she arrived the destroyed husk of the familiars left her wandering as to how it happened.

She felt stupid at not realizing sooner; of course there was another magical girl. She surely wasn't the only one. In fact, Nagisa might recall Kyubey mentioning it once or twice, but she didn't really care for the blasted thing so maybe she hadn't listened if he had. Nonetheless, Mami blew her breath away as she watched her work. So in awe Nagisa had been, she didn't notice the familiar attempting to attack her from behind. Mami hadn't seen Nagisa, but she definitely seen the minion and a bullet took care of that. She remained there even after the labyrinth disappeared.

Nagisa turned to look at Amai as the older girl collected her nerve. Her fourth hunt involved this girl, and it was her most successful yet. She wasn't the one who defeated the witch, but she kept Amai safe until the end. Once again, Mami had been a joy to watch, ridding the world of the witch as if she were nothing. Judging from the look on Amai's face, she thought the same.

And now the two of them were heading out to find a witch – the fifth hunt for Nagisa, the first for Amai.

The older girl declared she wished to learn more about the magical girl life, and as Mami appeared hesitant to impart her wisdom – a disappointing fact, Nagisa thought – the brunette thought it fit for the younger girl to train her.

Nagisa saw two problems with this.

Firstly, as a younger person, Nagisa wasn't entirely comfortable with the notion of being an older girl's teacher. It should be the other way around – like how Amai had been teaching her about the restaurant and about her family.

Secondly, Nagisa was literally a baby in the face of Mami's experience. However, Nagisa wasn't blind to Mami's reluctance. For some reason the blonde refused to train Amai when the brunette showed every sign of wanting that. Her refusal left Nagisa as the next candidate; to Amai, just the simple notion of transforming and using magic was enough to deem the white-haired girl a teacher.

Nagisa took a breather in an effort to calm her nerves. It helped little. "All right, Amai-neechan, your turn."

The brunette blinked. "Uh..."

"You need to transform, too."

"I know that. I... just don't know how."

"You need to focus on your Soul Gem."

Amai lifted her left hand. "This ring is the gem thing, right?"

"Yes, when you're in civilian form, your Soul Gem turns into the ring."

The brunette gazed at the jewelry in thought. She closed her eyes.

A minute passed. Nagisa fidgeted. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to concentrate."

"Are you sure you're focusing on your gem? Imagine the ring and try to focus on the warmth inside you. I know it's there. It's your magic."

Amai hummed, and Nagisa assumed she resumed her focus. Her ring began to glow a soft green that slowly began to envelope her. A green Soul Gem materialized above the ring. Amai's eyes popped open as she reached out for the gem. As the crystal fell into her grasp, the rest of her body was consumed by green.

As Nagisa's eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Amai's outfit change. A few seconds later, the light faded and left Amai in her magical girl outfit: a dark green tube top and harem pants, and a short, light green vest, a set of dark green greaves, a brown kusazuri, brown combat boots and a gold tiara with a green gem in the center nestled on her forehead. Amai looked down at her outfit in awe, her hand reaching for her necklace – modified by her magic, the trinket gained a few embroideries, namely a Celtic design that meets up to the emerald at the joined point.

"You definitely look ready for battle." Nagisa commented as she looked at her own outfit.

"Whoa... this... is... AWESOME!" Amai throws her arms in the air.

"Shhh! Keep it down!" Nagisa's eyes nervously darted towards the door of the room; she wouldn't know what to say if Xavier chose to walk in on them now. In fact, it was important they'd leave as soon as possible.

Nagisa stepped towards the open window. As she hung on the edge of the frame, she turned to Amai and gesture for her to come outside.

Amai looked at her blankly.

With one last gesture, Nagisa pushed against the wall of the house towards the roof of the next one. She landed softly, turning to see Amai's next move.

The brunette poked her head out, wide eyes on Nagisa's form. She looked left and right nervously, before placing a foot on the windowpane and stepping out herself. Once the entirety of her body hung outside the window, she pushed her body away from the wall...

...towards the street below.

Nagisa face palmed. She jumped off the roof to land next to Amai. "Why didn't you follow me?"

"Um, do you know how high up we were?!" Amai hissed.

"Huh?"

"I am NOT going to risk killing myself on my first witch hunt!" The brunette was shivering at the end of her confession.

Nagisa tried to put two and two together. "Are you scared of heights, Amai-neechan?"

"LET'S GO!" Amai reached for Nagisa's wrist and pulled her into one direction.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~ (Witch's Labyrinth)

A little ways away, Nagisa put her weight down to stop them. The two of them were heading aimlessly, and Nagisa needed to clarify something.

"All right, Amai-neechan, our primary guide to finding witches is our Soul Gem." Nagisa summoned her gem from her belt and held it out. She nodded when she saw the soft glow from within. "Our gems pick up on the signature of a witch's power. They will lead us to them."

Amai took a moment locating her Soul Gem, extracting it from her tiara. The gem was also glowing. "Okay, so now what?"

Nagisa gave a smile as she held the gem aloft. It emanated a swirl of magic that started into one direction. "This way!"

The two of them avoided the roofs for now, merely dashing towards the less travelled paths. As they neared the witch, their gems' glows picked up in intensity.

"Hey, stop!"

They skidded to a halt. Nagisa turned to look at where Amai was pointing.

From a distance, a number of people staggered forward. The quantity wasn't really cause for alarm but the way they walked made Nagisa suspicious. She gestured for Amai to follow her.

"Look at their necks," the younger girl pointed at them.

Amai squinted her eyes. "What's that?" She noticed a symbol of some sorts glowing on the junction of the neck and shoulder.

"That's a witch's kiss." Nagisa explained how people with the marks were entranced victims of the witches. "They can lead us to the labyrinth."

"But isn't that a bad thing?" Amai frowned. "We should just help them now."

"That's true, as well. Come on."

The two of them approached the group. Amai didn't know what to do next, but Nagisa stepped up to the plate. With a mumble, a few tendrils of magic reached out for the people, slithering in front of their faces. The people stumbled in place before dropping to the ground unconscious.

"Whoa..." Amai continued to stand in place as Nagisa walked up towards the folks. With a sweep of her hand, Nagisa encased them into individual bubbles.

"This will keep them safe while we deal with the witch."

"You've got to teach me that!" Amai exclaimed.

Nagisa smiled. "We all have different forms of magic. Part of this excursion is to start discovering your style."

"And how do we that?"

"We'll figure something out when we're near the labyrinth." The two of them moved forward, Nagisa in the led, in the direction of the magic concentration. Both of their Soul Gems were glowing their brightest at this point. The two of them pushed forward until their surroundings began to change.

Unconsciously, Amai gave a shudder. She still hasn't gotten over her first encounter with a witch. Even in her wildest imaginations, she hadn't ever imagined creatures such as the witches to actually exist.

"All right, let's try something here. If you want to, you can try to feel for the witch. This is their domain, so it can be anywhere, but sometimes their magical signature will be stronger in certain places in the labyrinth."

"Like their favorite hangout?"

"Yeah! Try it out!"

Amai took a breath and let it out as she tried to focus on her magic. Nagisa was right; when she reached down inside, she could feel a strange warmth. She didn't know how else to describe it but 'magic'. It was just kind of difficult to get a grasp around it – understandable since it wasn't exactly tangible.

But she kept coming back to it so easily because it felt so much like 'her', this magic. She knew she could fall back to it, depend on it to see her through. Now she just needed to learn how to command it so it can help her.

She focused on a thought – '_Help me find this witch!_'

At first, Amai's magic alluded her grasp. Then it expanded a lot – too much – but in the end it made a blazing path towards a single direction. She felt a pressure of magic at the end of the line.

"That way." Amai pointed down the path, a little out of breath.

"You're using a lot of magic," Nagisa pointed out with a frown.

"Is that bad?"

"Yes. It's not good to use too much of your magic. But I guess it can't be helped; maybe it'll be easier for you to use your magic in combat than as support." Nagisa blinked and looked left. "Perfect timing."

Her trumpet materialized in her grasp as the witch's familiars turned down the hall. Amai followed her gaze, taking a step back. "What do I do?"

"Do the same thing you did earlier, only this time you have to have the will to fight." Nagisa looked back to her with a smile. "Let's see how your weapon looks."

With a nod, Amai tried to focus on her magic again. This time, it felt easier envisioning her magic to take the form of a weapon. Both of her arms spread out in front of her as tendrils of green magic enveloped them. The strings reached the tips of her fingers and then took the form of large rings with four spades on each fourth point. Amai regarded her newly developed magic in awe.

"You did it!" Nagisa's eyes shone in glee for her friend.

"Yeah, I did it!" This was WAY better than a modified pepper spray! With a fierce grin on her face, Amai dashed forward and sliced her chakrams through the first familiar she met up. The little creature gave a squeal of pain as it disintegrated.

Amai followed through with a quick successions of slices through the familiars following behind the first. Nagisa joined in, her trumpet horn spewing a torrent of bubbles to surround their enemies with. Any of the minions thrown back by Amai's attacks fell against the bubbles.

One of the minions rose above the rest, gaining in size to tower over the two magical girls.

"Oh, crap!"

"Don't panic, Amai! Fall back!" The two of them jumped back and looked at the minion flailing around. "Huh... I wonder how it got like that?"

"Shouldn't we, I don't know, try to fight it?" Amai was itching to attack with her new weapons.

"This isn't a game, Amai-neechan. We can get seriously hurt out here." After some thought, Nagisa elaborated. "I'm sure you can combine your magic with your weapons."

"I can make my attacks STRONGER?!" Amai exclaimed with bug eyes. "HELL YEAH! Let's do this!"

Nagisa tried to get a word in, but to her surprise, Amai's body was overcome by a wave of green magic that once again settled onto her hands and chakrams. Instead of slowly dissolving, the magic remained, the tendrils intensifying into green flames.

"Whoa! What?!" Amai looked at her hands in surprise, throwing her hands out in front of her in shock. The flames shot out towards the large minion, hitting it square in the chest. It gave a slight roar as it fell back.

Amai looked at her hands in shock. "What just happened?"

"It seems you called upon your magic without much thought." Which can get dangerous. Nagisa quickly realized the flaws in Amai's battle style; feeling out your magic is essential but not at the cost of extensive magic use. She saw that this was a perfect time to step in.

Nagisa snapped her fingers, and the remaining bubbles still encircling the room neared the giant minion from behind. They ensnared the creatures shadowy legs. It gave a grunt of confusion at its lack of movements. "Now, Amai!"

The brunette didn't give it a second thought. With her chakrams at the ready, she dashed forward once more. She knew exactly what needed to be done even if she couldn't exactly explain it.

Firstly, Amai struck the minion's arms, taking away its methods of attack. The creature howled in pain. Amai was already moving to its legs, cutting it away from Nagisa's trap. It flipped into the air.

Amai stepped back, holding her arms out before her arms were encased in the green flames again. With a cry, she threw one chakram and then the other at the familiar. Both struck their target on the chest, and vanquishing it to dust. In the middle of the dust, a dark shaded orb appeared.

The dust settled; Amai landed on the ground with a grunt, breathing heavily. Nagisa sighed in relief.

"So that was the witch all along..."

"Was it, now?" Amai sounded so out of breathe. The labyrinth faded in the background.

Nagisa walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Can I see your Soul Gem?"

Amai summoned the jewel after some mild confusion. Nagisa looked it over.

"I thought so; it's darkening slightly." Nagisa then walked over to the floating black crystal and took it in her hand. When she turned back to Amai, she held the gem out for her to see. "This is a Grief Seed."

"Hey, I've seen that before..." Amai thought for a second. "Wait, the first time I went with you to hunt a witch, when Mami killed it, didn't it drop something like this?"

"Yes, it did. This is something known as a Grief Seed. All witches drop these when defeated, and it's the price us magical girls strive for."

"Why?"

"Because this..." Nagisa held Amai's hand. She pressed the Grief Seed and the Soul Gem together. "Is used..." The Soul Gem slowly lost its darkness and the Grief Seed drew it out. "To purify our gems."

Amai watched silently, entranced until her gem was fully cleaned. Nagisa peered at the seed for a moment before coming to a decision.

"Here, you should hold on to this." She passed the seed to the girl's other hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep! It still has a few more uses, and you're going to need it for the rest of your training." Nagisa beamed. "Always remember the importance of Grief Seeds. They are essential for a magical girl's existence."

Amai nodded. "Roger, Teach."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Observation Tower ~

A large crunch settled in the air as a red-haired girl took a bite out of an apple. "So that's the new magical girl, huh?"

"_Technically, there are two new magical girls._" Kyubey responded next to her. "_The other is presently watching the results of her wish before heading out on her first witch hunt as well. There's also the fact that unlike Amai, she doesn't have the luxury of a teacher at the moment._"

"Why's that?"

"_None of the other girls know that she made her wish. I suspect they'll be learning about it shortly._"

The redhead looked thoughtful. "Is Mami one of those girls?"

"_Yes._"

"How come Mami isn't training this one? She's awful."

The comment was out of both spite and secondhand embarrassment for the brunette. The redhead didn't recall EVER being this bad at witch hunting even when she started off. She caught the brunette running straight for a building after the white-haired girl convinced her to traverse by rooftops. From the first moment, the redhead could tell the brunette had issues with heights; it didn't take long before she fumbled mid-flight and crashed.

"_I wouldn't go so far as to say that. I wasn't expecting Amai to have this much potential. Her magic can be described as chaotic but not necessarily in a bad way. It fluctuates, going from less to more in seconds. It's a double-edged sword; she possesses great powers at the expanse of magic usage. She'll tire herself out quickly, but if she can get the hang of her powers, she can easily be a trusted ally._"

"Glad to see someone is confident about her."

"_I must ask, though; why have you decided to return to Mitakihara?_"

She took one last bite of her apple before answering with a savage grin. "I'm just scooping the competition, is all."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Juudai opened the door to Amai's room, only to find it empty.

"Xavier, did you notice where Amai went?"

"She left the house earlier with Nagisa."

The orangette turned to look at her little brother with an odd look. "You knew and didn't say anything?"

He shrugged. "They were in their weird get-up, so I thought it was supposed to be a secret."

Juudai's heart skipped. "Weird get-up?"

"Yeah, Nagisa-chan was wearing an orange coat and brown shorts. Amai-neechan was wearing this cool green costume. Kind of like convention sort-of thing, I think."

"At night?"

"Hey, I'm not judging, especially if Nagisa-chan uses her bubbles."

With those words, Xavier left for his room, Juudai on his trail. The late hour signaled his bedtime, so he settled into his bed. Juudai sat on the edge.

"Honey, what do you mean by 'bubbles'?" She had a suspicion she knew what Xavier was hinting, but she needed to hear more from him first.

The boy shrugged again. "Nagisa used the bubbles to save another kid before. I saw it happen. The kid fell from a tree and a bubble showed up and saved him."

"...When did this happen?"

"About two weeks ago."

"Did Nagisa stick around?"

"No. I don't even think anyone saw her, except me."

Xavier eyes fell closed. Juudai swept a hand through his hair, and the soothing motion slowly put him to sleep. She slowly picked herself off the bed and walked over to her desk. With a yawn, she pulled out the chair and sat to get started on her homework. She continued working on it for a good half hour before she heard the front door open. Juudai stretched her arms behind her back before standing up and leaving the room.

When she arrived on the bottom floor, she came across both Amai and Nagisa. The brunette looked exhausted and her hair a mess, but otherwise fine. Nagisa had a tired smile on her face. "Were you waiting up for us, Juudai-neechan?"

"Doing my homework."

"You need to go to sleep soon." Amai scolded.

"Like you're one to talk." Juudai retorted. "Went to kill those monsters?" Amai sighed. Nagisa chuckled. A brow lifted on Juudai's face. "Was it that bad?"

"It was TERRIBLE!"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that." Nagisa defended. "We just had a bit of bad luck when it came to finding witches. The very first encounter was a witch; the other three labyrinths were familiars that were growing in power. So we only got one grief seed."

"And I used the damn thing up." Amai scowled holding up a black stone.

"_I'll be taking that._" Kyubey announced from an open window.

Amai shrieked; Nagisa jumped back and glared at the critter with a fierce frown. Juudai turned to him with a small smile. "Welcome back."

"_Thank you, Juudai._" Kyubey jumped down and approached Nagisa. The girl stepped back with a low growl. His little head bent to the side. "_I really must see that before it becomes a threat to us all._"

"Wait, the Grief Seed is dangerous?" Amai's eyes widen.

"_Did you use it to clean your Soul Gem_?"

"Yes."

"_Then the answer to that is yes. Once it's reached its limit to cleansing your Gems, I have to take it into my custody before it reactivates._"

"What does it reactivate to?" Juudai was actually curious to know.

Kyubey turned his head to her. _"The witch will return. Grief Seeds are extremely useful to magical girls because they draw out their impurities, but that same impurity gives the Seeds the strength to revive the witch lying dormant. That's why we are tasked to securing a Grief Seed once it's reached its limit. It's one of the other services we offer._"

He turned back to Nagisa. The girl looked like she struggled with an inner decision. Amai placed her hand on the young girl's shoulder; the two of them looked at one another before Amai gave her a nod. Nagisa sighed before bending down, holding the hand with the Grief Seed out towards Kyubey.

The marking on his back opened – something that came to a shock to Juudai. "_Please place it there_." Nagisa dropped the Seed into the socket.

The lid went shut, not leaving a hint of a spot on his back. Amai shuddered. "That's creepy."

"Seems convenient." Juudai shrugged.

"_It'll be safer in there than out here._" Kyubey padded over to Juudai. The orangette reached a hand down to his level; he climbed onto her hand as she stood back up to her full height. "_How did you feel after your first hunt, Amai_?"

"It could have gone better, but..." Amai's face shone past her exhaustion. "I like it."

"_I'm glad to hear it_."

"If anyone should be going to sleep, it's you." Juudai chimed in. "You look like crap."

"Thanks, Judy." Amai deadpanned.

"Sleep sounds nice right about now, but can we eat first?" Nagisa pouted.

"Your plates are wrapped up in the kitchen." Juudai helpfully provided. The two girls muttered their thanks before stepping out of the room, leaving Juudai with Kyubey. She looked at him. "Would you like something to eat as well?"

"_That would be nice, yes_."

Juudai nodded and made her way to the kitchen, too. Kyubey jumped on top of a side table she passed and jumped again to land on her shoulder. Reflexively, she reached to pet the creature – she just couldn't resist. He was a soft thing, rabbit-like in appearance, and Juudai had a weakness for cute little things. To her relief, Kyubey rubbed against her hand.

"Sorry." Juudai doesn't know why, but she felt she needed to apologize for her actions.

"_It's all right. For some reason, humans enjoy petting me. I will admit that it feels rather nice_."

When the two of them entered the kitchen, Amai stepped away from the counter – where she was reheating her food in the microwave – and pointed a finger at Kyubey. "Nu-uh! He stays out of here!"

"What's wrong with you?" Juudai rolled her eyes as she said.

"I don't want a rat in my kitchen!"

"_I'm not a rat. Do I look like one to you?_"

"Damn straight!"

"Just give me a moment to get some food for him." Juudai sighed.

"Don't do that! You'll encourage it to come back here!"

"He's with me, not running around the kitchen. Shut up!" She grabbed a small bowl, filled with some curry she made the day before, and took that with her – she thanked goodness she thought about placing her own microwave in her room. It really helped on those nights when she really needed to cram for school.

Leaving the kitchen, she headed back to her room. Xavier was still asleep, and the sight brought a smile on her face. Kyubey jumped off and settled on the coach while Juudai placed the bowl in the microwave.

"_I'm sometimes fascinated by the technology your species possess. It's really interesting how far you've developed since the origin of your species._"

"Is that so?" Juudai kept her voice low in consideration for Xavier but she inclined her head towards the creature to show she was listening. "How long have you've been on this planet?"

"_Quite long. I will admit that while we were not here at the beginning of your time, however, we kept an eye on you for some time before we arrived here._"

"So then... you're an alien." It wasn't a question.

"_By your species' definition, yes. We are not from this world. But once we arrived here, we begun to offer our services to your kind._"

"Out of the goodness of your heart?"

"_I don't believe we have this 'heart' you speak of._"

"Nevermind." Juudai responded after a moment. She tried not to think too hard on what he said, but her curiosity was truly begging her to keep asking questions. The microwave signaled the end of those particular thoughts. "Here we go; I hope you enjoy." She removed the plate from the oven and set it down before Kyubey. He helped himself right away.

"_This is really good. Did you make this?_"

"I did. Just something I wanted to practice on a little; it's not every day I cook for myself. It's mostly Amai and her father that cook for the restaurant; I don't have the confidence to cook for other people that aren't my family. What about you? How do you get your meals?"

"_I don't normally eat. It's not a necessity like for your species. I do enjoy partaking in a meal every now and then when it's offered. I will admit there are particularly delicious dishes that I enjoy._"

"Huh, so that explains why I haven't seen you eat."

Kyubey looked at her with those unblinking red eyes. "_Juudai Naosoroshii, are you fond of your life?_"

She gave him a strange look. "Yes. Why do you ask that out of the blue?"

"_No reason in particular; I'm just curious to know why you are so interested in me._"

"What do you mean by that?"

"_Most girls that I come across usually question me about being a magical girl; you are the first in a long time that asks about me personally._"

"Why wouldn't I ask about you? You're an intelligent, talking animal... thing. Of course, I'd ask questions. If you don't mind me asking." She quickly added the last part.

"_I don't mind – it's actually refreshing. If it's all right with you, I'd like to ask you some questions as well._"

"Yeah, it's only fair if I'm going to do it." Juudai smiled. "I'll wait until you finish eating, though."

Kyubey focused on his meal. Juudai told him she'll be right back before exiting the room. She returned to the kitchen to get a snack. She found Nagisa still eating her food.

"Where's Amai?"

"Taking a shower!"

"Can I tell you something?" Nagisa hummed an affirmative. "I think Xavier knows you're a magical girl."

Nagisa paused in her eating, face paling a bit. She set her utensils down. "I... thought so."

"So you knew?"

"I had an inkling. He spoke with me the other day, about how he saw me using my magic once at a school. His school I guess."

"Saving another kid."

"Yeah."

"Thank you for telling me that. You should hurry up and eat so you can go and freshen up."

Nagisa nodded and went back to her meal. Juudai went back to her room and saw everything was still normal. Kyubey was halfway through his plate.

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

"_You can._"

"Can regular people see witches?"

Kyubey shook his head. "_No, regular people can only see witches when they chose to be seen._"

"And so normal people can't see you?"

"_Correct_."

"Well, then can a boy become a magical boy?"

"_Are you asking because of your brother?_"

Juudai nodded.

"_In our history, there have been magical girls and boys. However, it's extremely rare when human males show the capabilities. Human females are more common to possess magical abilities._"

"I'll stop with this question: a person can witness a magical girl in their element?"

"_Yes, a magical girl can be seen. Unlike witches, you can't exactly hide away from sight_."

"So someone can be a witness to your magical exploits?"

"_Precisely_."

It added up.

"_If it makes you feel comfortable, I won't ask your brother if he wishes to be a magical boy. I'm not sure if the process would go smoothly or not, after all._"

A weight Juudai didn't know she had lifted from her chest. She heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you."

"_It's no problem at all. However, are you TRULY sure you do not wish to make a contract with me?_"

Juudai chuckled. "Just eat, Kyubey."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mami's Apartment ~

A number of treats were set out in plates with a pitcher of tea and two cups on the edges. Madoka took a whiff and sighed. "Everything smells divine!"

"Go ahead and help yourself." Mami smiled.

"Thank you!" She started munching on a few cookies, all the while staring at the blonde from the corner of her eyes. Mami did not look well. Slight dark circles were under her eyes and her skin appeared slightly pale. Madoka paused in her snacking to ask, "Mami, have you've been doing all right?"

"Huh?" Mami jumped slightly, eyes dilating as she looked at Madoka. "Oh, no, no! I'm fine. And what about yourself, Madoka-chan? I'm sorry I haven't been seeing you all lately."

"Oh, no! That's fine! I know you're busy and can't always be with us."

"No, that's no excuse. You know, it never occurred to me to share numbers with you. Do you have a cell phone?"

After the two of them switched numbers, they went back to their little tea party. Madoka finished her little plate of sweets and took a gulp of her tea before continuing the conversation. "Homura and I thought it would be a good idea if we all hung out together."

Mami hummed. "Are you speaking about the study session? I do believe that's this Friday. It would for us together we can't afford to stay behind on our schoolwork."

"Oh, well, yes, the study session time is coming up but I didn't mean just that." Madoka fumbled with one of her pigtails.

"Oh, what did you mean, then?"

"We were kind of hoping we could all take a trip to someplace – like say, an amusement park."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"That... does sound nice." Mami reluctantly admitted. "But why bring this up all of sudden?"

"Homura and I thought it would be nice for us to get away from this and just have fun."

"Are you telling me I should just turn my back on Mitakihara to go on a VACATION?"

"Nononono! Not like that!" Madoka quickly added. "Mami, you can't just always be hunting witches and not relax every now and then."

Mami sighed. "I know, but I can't just turn my back to my duties just like that."

"It's not like witches attack every day."

"I suppose, but..."

"You don't have to answer right away. It'll take some planning for us to put everything together." Madoka drank the rest of her tea. "Have you've spoken with Amai-san?"

She regretted the question when she saw a dark look pass over Mami's face. "Ah, Nevermind..."

The look left Mami. "Oh, have you've seen Sayaka lately?"

"Yes, I did. I had seen her the other day. She seemed really happy. I think something must have happened between her and Kyousuke."

"Huh..." Mami took a thoughtful sip from her cup.

"I wonder if whenever Kyousuke is ever discharged from the hospital if he'd want to come with us to the park as well. I think Sayaka would like that!"

"Oh, Sayaka has a crush on him?"

"Yes, she does but she hasn't said anything to him yet."

"Oh, dear." Mami actually chuckled at that. "So that explains why she's always going to the hospital to see him." A mischievous look settled on the blonde's face. "Speaking of which, what about your love life, Madoka?"

"Huh!? Oh, no, I don't have anyone in mind..." The pinklette attempted to wave the conversation away from.

"Nuh-uh, I don't think so. Talk." Mami grinned, all the while leaning closer to Madoka. "Is there a cute boy whose caught your eye? Or maybe a girl?"

"Mami!"

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

With a yawn, Amai walked back to her bedroom. "Hey, Nagisa! Rise and shine!"

The whitette groaned in her bed and turned away from her. Amai took that as invitation to jump on top of her. Nagisa grunted. "Get off of me!"

"Not until you get up!"

The two of them traded words back and forth until Nagisa realized that Amai was comfortable lying on top of her, and wouldn't be moving anytime soon. She stabbed Amai's side with her elbow in an effort to push her off enough for Nagisa to sit up.

Amai grinned. "Knew you'd see it my way. Why are you still sleeping in the afternoon?"

"Because I'm TIRED!"

"Well, stop being tired. I need you to accompany me to the market!"

Eventually, Amai did drag Nagisa out of bed, but only with the promise of a late lunch – and the implications of sweets later. The two of them join Amai's parents in the dining room as they got ready to return to the restaurant. Amai cooed over her baby brother in her mother's arms.

"He's doing very well," Amai commented.

"He likes you very much," her mother grinned.

"Here's the list, dear." Amai's father passed her a list.

"Thaaaank you! Ready whenever you are, Nagisa."

"I'll eat quickly."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Bazaar Market ~

The two of them stepped out half an hour later. The white-haired girl followed the brunette as they headed to a more rural portion of Mitakihara. They both held each other's hands on the way to the market.

Nagisa watched the people walk by the marketplace with wide eyes. "Wow~ this place is so lively!"

"It is, huh? I haven't been here in a while." Amai walked up to the first booth, pointing to a few items of interest and asking for them to be wrapped. "Either one of my parents usually come here to do the shopping, but sometimes I go with them or by myself. You can find some very interesting objects here, too."

"Oh~ Like those?" Nagisa pointed to a few trinkets in another booth.

"Yep. Wow, those are actually kind of cute. Damn it, and I didn't bring my wallet."

As Nagisa approached the stall, Amai looked around to check any of the nearby stalls. Her eyes fell on a particular stall. The fruits on display looked really appealing. Amai tapped Nagisa on the shoulder, and signaled for the young girl to follow her.

As the two of them neared the stall, Amai looked up in time to see a girl with red hair approach the stand. The girl stood too close to the stall in Amai's opinion.

And then she noticed her hand inching close to one of the merchandise – an apple.

The girl grabbed her target, thinking she wasn't seen, and made to walk away. She gasped in surprise when Amai appeared behind her, gripping her wrist sharply.

"THERE you are! I found you!" Amai forced a smile on her face. "And I see you found what I was looking for. Bonus!" Amai made to snatch the apple out of the girl's grasp. Easier said than done; the girl had a surprisingly hard grip, but after some maneuvering, she took the apple out of her hand. "I'll take a bushel."

As the merchant got to work, Amai pulled the girl away from the booth. Again, easier said than done. The girl clearly did not get the meaning of discreet and struggled as Amai pulled her away. Amai sighed.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

The redhead yelped as Amai pinched her in the thigh. She went quiet after that.

Nagisa caught up with them at this point, looking at the newcomer in question as Amai gave the merchant the direction to the restaurant. Amai turned to them with a smile at that success.

The redhead rubbed against where the brunette pinched, all the while glaring at Amai. "What the hell was that for?" She spoke for the first time.

Amai shrugged. "Not exactly going to stand there when I catch someone trying to steal."

"For your information, that was going to be part of my meal today." She huffed. "And now it's gone thanks to you. You ARE going to do something about it, right? Which reminds me..."

The girl's hand swept quickly to Amai's upper arm, gathering a good bit of skin between her thumb and index finger before pinching hard. Amai cried out, and the redhead grinned. "That's payback. I'll give you props; you got some reflexes on ya to catch me the way you did."

Amai rubbed her arm with a pout. "Jerk."

"I'm Nagisa!" The girl in question stated.

"Well, I'm Kyoko. Pleasure to meet ya!"

"The poor innocent soul you've violated is Amai."

"Yeah, innocent..." Kyoko glared at the brunette.

The merchant walked around the stall and passed a bag over to Amai. She thanked him before he walked off and turned her attention to Kyoko, passing the bag to her. "Here."

Kyoko blinked. "What's that?"

"Just take it."

Kyoko did, after some hesitation. She opened the bag and peered inside. "Apples, huh?"

"And a bit more if you're willing to accompany us." Amai provided. The brunette looked at the redhead, wondering what she'll do next. Kyoko certainly looked like she was thinking on it.

Eventually, Kyoko shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Good! Cause I've been meaning to move on to the next stall!" Nagisa cheered, pushing the redhead in front of her.

Kyoko looked at the white-haired in confusion before aiming her gaze at Amai for assistance. The brunette merely shrugged, gave a smile and waved, following not far behind them.

"Okay, let's see what's next on the list..." Amai took a list and, with pen in hand, began marking at it. As she mentally went over what to do next, her phone rang in her pocket. When she pulled it out to check who it was, a smile spread out on her face.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mall ~

Checking over the message, Homura turned back to Madoka. "She says that she's busy right now."

"Of course, she would." Madoka pouted, a little blush appearing on her face. Homura found she liked it – then again, she liked so much about Madoka.

"I'm sure she means it. You can't forget Amai's family runs a restaurant and she frequently helps her parents when they need her assistance."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just... want this to work out. The meeting with Mami didn't exactly go as planned."

"Miss Tomoe isn't making things easy on us at all, is she?" It really made Homura think. Considering how excited Mami seemed at the idea of Madoka, Sayaka and herself becoming magical girls, she honestly thought it a bit hypocritical that she was putting such an attitude against Amai's decision. Then again, when Homura tried to think about it beyond the wish making and towards the destiny of fighting against monsters, she could understand how risky and dangerous it all was. One would have to plan their wish carefully before throwing themselves to a world of danger.

"I still feel that she and Amai should talk it out." Homura provided. "However, it is difficult to get the two of them together and not feel the tension in the air."

"Yeah, it's really uncomfortable."

"You'd think with the years of separation they wouldn't act like that."

"That's why I'm hoping our little outing idea will work! It would be nice to go to an amusement park or the beach and just spend the day not worrying about everything..." Madoka thoughtfully commented.

"Have you talked to Miss Miki about this?"

"I sent her a text because she didn't answer by call earlier and she hasn't responded."

"That's strange; did she talk to you at all in school?" Homura asked with a look of concern.

Madoka nodded. "Oh, yes, but she seemed a little out of it. We didn't walk to school together today and she left as soon as school ended." The pinklette looked to the side in thought. "I wonder if she had something on her mind."

Homura hummed, looking over her unfinished meal. The two of them had decided to pay a visit to the food court in the mall where everything came to a head not so long ago. She was thankful that there weren't any witches about. "What should I respond to Amai then?"

"Remind her that we're still meeting up for the study session tomorrow."

"Okay." Homura typed up the response. It wasn't long before Amai responded with a yes. "Does everyone else know we're meeting up tomorrow?"

"I'll remind Sayaka just in case." Madoka giggled as she created a new message. "What should we do together after this?"

"I-I-I don't know. Whatever you want..." Homura liked the way Madoka mentioned had they were 'together'...

"We can go to the music store! Sayaka and I haven't been there in a while, so I'd like to check on some things."

"All right..."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Hospital ~

The sound of a violin filled the air, and Sayaka's soul felt at peace. It was nice to see Kyousuke in his element once again. The small crowd gathered at the roof listened entranced at his performance; some patients, other hospital staff and among them his parents. This was his world. This is where he wanted to return to.

'_And I played a part in bringing him back_.' Such an overpowering thought...

Once he finished, everyone clapped for him. Kyousuke bowed. His cheeks were slightly red, and he was out of breath. A smile shone on his face. Sayaka felt her heartbeat quicken.

He took a moment to speak with his parents and doctors, the rest of the crowd dissipating. Sayaka stayed behind, watching him from a distance. During the conversation, he turned to look at her with a smile. She blushed and looked away.

His parents returned inside, however Kyousuke remained behind. Sayaka walked over to him when he turned to look at her.

"Thank you for coming when I called."

"No problem." Sayaka responded happily. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah... I don't know how it happened." Kyousuke looked at his hand thoughtfully. "It was like... magic. Overnight, even."

"Maybe... it was just getting better on its own. They just needed to give it time to heal. Something's just can't be cured by science." Sayaka suggested.

Kyousuke looked away from his hand towards Sayaka. His gaze held something that Sayaka had a hard time identifying, and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She fidgeted as he remained silent for a while.

"I'll be out of the hospital soon. They just want to check over me a while longer before releasing me. Wish they could let me go sooner."

"You've been hospitalized for so long. They just want to make sure everything is okay before you go back out."

"I guess..." He went back to be silent.

Sayaka inclined her head. "Is something bothering you?"

Kyousuke shook a hand. "I just..." He took a breath. "I'm sorry." Sayaka blinked her surprise evident in her eyes. Kyousuke chuckled humorlessly. "For yesterday. I snapped at you, and you didn't deserve it."

"Oh. It's all right. I know you didn't mean it."

"No, it's not all right. I was frustrated yesterday, and I took it out on you. I don't even know why you put up with me after that."

"Kyousuke, it's ALL right. Look at me." The boy obeyed her. "We're... friends, right?" Sayaka hesitated slightly, but she plowed through. "Friends are supposed to be there for each other, through better or worse. I'm not going give up on you just because you were upset. Things were looking grim for you and... Everyone else has those awful days. And you've been here for months even. I can't blame you for that."

"I still feel awful about it."

Sayaka pondered on what to do to help him look past it. An idea came to her... though it made her feel selfish.

"...If you're that worried about it, how about you take me out?" The bewildered look on his face gave her pause. She quickly added, "After you get out of the hospital, of course! You know, it's been a while since we hung out somewhere that wasn't a white room."

He chuckled at her lame attempt at a joke. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's do it."

"Good." Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief. "Then it's settled. We can call each other later with the details. Just be sure to keep me up to the date with the hospital business; I wouldn't mind being here when they finally let you out."

"Okay."

She accompanied him back to his room, where his parents were impatiently waiting for him. They traded farewells and parted ways. Her heart raced and her face remained hot. Sayaka willed her blush to cease and placed her hand over her chest, trying not to excite her heart more at the thought of her 'date' with her crush.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

As the sun set and brought an end to another day, Mami made her way to the Asurito restaurant. Her feet guided her towards the door, but no further. Her limbs started to tremble as she tried to find the will to make her way inside.

'_Everything is going to be fine..._' It was just a session for studying, but simply knowing Amai was there made her nervous and upset. She breathed out and took a step forward.

"Hello there, Mami," Mrs. Asurito answered the door with a smile. The blonde smiled in response, bowing before entering at the older woman's request.

As usual, it smelled deliciously within the house. Mami could recognize the scent of gyoza in the air. "Are you doing pork dumplings as a special today?" She asked.

Mrs. Asurito nodded her head. "Oh, yes. We had a good portion of the ingredients for them laying around, so we opt to make them." Mami removed her shoes near the entrance and continued to follow the woman. "We'll be serving those for dinner later, if you don't mind." Mami nodded. Mrs. Asurito giggled. "All right. Amai and Juudai are already in there with a few others. Just go down the hall."

Mami thanked the woman as she returned to the restaurant. Taking another deep breathe, she walked down the hall and went inside the room.

Juudai sat in one corner with Xavier, the two of them already working on one of her assignments. Amai was playing with Jayden, her homework completely forgotten. Homura sat next to Juudai, glancing over to Juudai and Xavier every now and then. Sayaka looked out the distance, a forlorn look in her eye. Mami called out to them, gaining everyone's attention.

"Madoka's not here yet?" Mami asked.

Sayaka shook her head after getting up and greeting her. "No. She texted me and told me she needed to do something for her mother first before she can get here."

Homura sighed. Everyone turned to look at her. She looked around bewildered. "What?"

"Nothing, you lovesick puppy," Amai cooed.

The long-haired brunette blushed. "W-what?! No, no, no! What are you talking about!?"

"I don't need to say anything." Amai grinned.

"Stop teasing her," Juudai chastised. Amai turned back to her baby brother.

"I'm just saying the truth," The short-haired brunette pantomimed with the infant. He giggled slightly at his sister's antics. Homura merely giggled and reached her hand out to tickle the little boy.

"Tomoe, have a seat." Juudai gestured next to Amai.

Mami followed her advice, but she took a seat next to Sayaka instead. Juudai frowned; Amai looked away. Mami set her bag down, pulling out her textbooks, notebooks and utensils. Setting them on the table in front of her, she picked out one textbook and opened it to her assignment. An uneasy air fell over them all.

Sayaka coughed to dispel the awkward silence. "Hey, Mami, Could you help me with this?" She pointed to her homework.

Mami inched closer to help. She felt a sense of nostalgia looking at the book, recalling how in the past year she also worked on similar assignments like this. Despite how awful she felt, a small smile appeared on her face.

It also brought back other memories of the past – of a time when important people still frequented her life. The frown returned to Mami's face as she guided Sayaka through her homework.

Half an hour pass, and the door opens again; Madoka steps into the room. "Good evening, everyone!"

A chorus of greetings responded back. Homura stood up from her seat, trembling. "M-Madoka! Hello!" Amai's smirk practically glowed on her face. Homura's face turned red when she noticed. "I-I mean, WE'RE all glad you made it here safely."

"Yeah, my mom cut everything short since it was getting dark. She didn't want me walking here on my own. Sayaka, how are you doing?" The pinklette hugged her best friend.

"Never better." The blunette declared with a smile as she returned the hug.

"I heard the news!"

"About what?"

"Kyousuke! Hitomi told me he's being let out of the hospital!"

"O-oh, the boy you've been visiting?" Homura inquired. "Is he finally feeling better?"

"Uh, yeah..." Sayaka started looking to the side nervously, much to Mami's confusion.

"Sayaka, what happened to your friend? I don't think you've ever explained why he was hospitalized in the first place."

The blunette appeared to be uncomfortable at how she's been put on the spot, judging by how she was fidgeting in place. All the eyes in the room were on her as their owners waited for her to explain herself. "Well, you see... Kyousuke suffered an accident that landed him in the hospital. With his hand, particularly his wrist." She added, raising her hands up to show her wrists.

"Oh, the poor thing..."

"It just happened out of nowhere... First, he was fine, and then I get a call from him telling me he's in the hospital."

"That's right; it was after the first term of the semester." Madoka recalled. "Kyousuke-kun was suddenly gone and Miss Saotome explained the situation. The whole class even made him a card wishing him good luck and a full recovery."

"Hold on, are we speaking about Kamijo-kun?" Juudai asked.

"Yes, the very same."

Juudai looked thoughtful. "The violinist, or so I recall. He plays it very well. I remember going to the school talent show once and hearing his piece."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that." Amai came in. "I dragged you to the show because it was extra credit for me – and because I heard that one dude was going to do a dance piece. I was hoping he'd fall and break his legs. It didn't happen, but I do remember hearing a violin play. It was really good."

"Yes, it was really nice." Then Juudai's eyes widen. "You said the accident was on his hand. Does that mean...?"

"Yeah, it was really bad for him, because he plays the violin, and the accident was on his good hand. He'd been there for months on end with no sign of recovery."

Mami studied Sayaka for a bit. The girl looked downcast; only fitting since she was retelling the suffering of a dear friend of hers. However, at the same time, Mami noticed a look on her face, one of renewed hope...

Her heart went cold. "Sayaka, you didn't..."

Some of the girls looked at her in question; Sayaka at least had the decency to have a guilty look on her face. "Yeah, I did." She conceded.

Mami sighed. "So you made your wish for another?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "I don't regret it."

The uneasiness returned to the room, only this time Mami felt it was heavier than before. However, she chose to ignore it in favor of speaking with Sayaka. "I warned you, didn't I? About making your wish for another?" Sayaka nodded once again. "And how you shouldn't be making this wish for their gratitude?"

"I'm not." Sayaka insisted firmly. "You should have seen him, Mami. I've never seen him so happy. He'd been so miserable the past months, and making this wish allowed him to get back the life he thought he lost forever. Without my wish, Kyousuke would have wallowed in despair. The hospital kept telling him to lose hope on his wrist. Even with all the technology at their disposal, there was no cure. He couldn't turn his back to his life before. The violin, he's passionate about it and the mere thought of having to give up on that nearly destroyed him!"

By the end of her speech, Sayaka was in tears. She trembled, overwhelmed and the emotions spilling out of her. Mami's heart went out for her. It was moments like these that her mind would go back to that fateful day when her parents were wrenched from her and she failed to save them.

Mami let out a shaky breathe. When she truly thought about it, it broke her heart that Amai made her wish. In Mami's case, she didn't really have much of a choice. Either she made her wish and become a magical girl, or she could enter death's doors. But to this day, guilt still plagued her; in her panic, she did not consider saving her parents.

Death had been her incentive; these girls, however, TRULY have the choice, and Mami would rather they make their wishes for themselves than for others. She felt they could truly live their life without regrets this way; not like she continues to do day in and out.

However, as she looked at Sayaka's face, gleaming from both tears and the satisfaction of helping a dear friend, Mami realized that making a wish for others – if you're truly willing to commit – isn't so bad.

Mami smiled. "I'm sure you don't regret a thing. And now, starting today, you are a magical girl!"

"Thank you, Mami!" Sayaka beamed.

"We should get back to work. This homework isn't going to get itself down." Sayaka nodded her head and refocused on her assignment.

It only left one thing for Mami to do. She took a deep breath as she tried to mentally prepare for it before turning her head towards Amai.

The brunette was looking the other way, her head resting on her hand. Even though she couldn't see her face, Mami could FEEL the anger radiating off of her. An uneasy feeling settled over the blonde.

"Amai... may I speak with you?"

"Why would you want to?" The brunette responded curtly.

Mami tried again. "Because this is really important."

"I think our homework takes priority."

Mami looked to Juudai, who presently held Jayden in her arms. The orangette appeared upset at her friend's behavior. "Amai, I think you and Mami need to talk. Besides, both of you have similar kinds of homework. Maybe you can-"

"Stop!" Amai snapped, whipping around to glare at Juudai. To her credit, she didn't falter, even as Amai aimed her raged filled glare at her.

"Stop what?"

"Acting like this! What is there to talk about?! She was the one who jumped me with all this nonsense about not making a wish, and here she is giving Miki her blessings!"

"Well, if the two of you would actually just talk things out instead of avoiding each other-"

"No, nothing!" Amai roared. "There's nothing about it. It's my wish, and she's acting all high and mighty because she got to be a magical girl first!"

"It has nothing to do with that!" Mami stood up and insisted. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't make the same mistake as me! You had a choice, Amai! I didn't want you to throw away your freedom!"

"And now you're talking to me like you actually give a damn about my feelings! Cause you certainly did a good job of showing me that earlier!" With a huff, Amai turned and left the room. Mami called out to her as she left.

Standing still for a moment, Mami didn't realize until someone placed their hand on her shoulder that she was crying. She turned to look at the person – Madoka – and began to sob.

"I shouldn't have kept quiet." She admitted. "I just felt so hurt, like I failed her somehow..." Mami went into Madoka's embrace and began to cry in earnest.


	9. Chapter 9: Hunting Lesson & Worries

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

**MAGICAL GIRL ACTION CHAPTER! XD**

* * *

~ Chapter 9: Hunting Lesson &amp; Worries ~

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

The wind felt nice against her face as she floated aloft. Nagisa gently descended to a rooftop overlooking the neighborhood. She wasn't too far away from the Asurito residence, having only started her watch a little while ago.

It had been a deal Nagisa made with Mami. The day prior she had asked Amai for her number. Long story short, it took quite a bit of negotiating for her to even come across the number; Amai still hadn't gone out of her way to ask the blonde for her number, but she did have Homura's number who likewise had Mami's number. After the zigzag trial she went through to procure it, she informed the blonde what she had in mind. Mami had been surprised to say the least, but she accepted after some reluctance.

From her present point, Nagisa willed her Soul Gem to take form. The jewel faintly glowed orange. She frowned.

"_It appears there is some witch activity._"

Nagisa jumped, turning around and looking down to see Kyubey with her. She growled, "What are you doing here?!"

"_To keep you company. We're not needed with the other girls; we don't have any business with your planet's education procedures. Besides, we don't recall ever accompanying you in any of your hunts_."

"I don't need you to be with me!" Nagisa roared. She leaped towards another rooftop, watching where she was going for a moment before shifting her eyes to look at her gem.

"_You're doing quite well._" Kyubey hopped along with her. "_Most magical girls struggle to use their gems in conjunction with their searches. We usually have to be the ones to inform you that your gems serve as a witch dowser._"

"I didn't ask for your input." Nagisa gritted through her teeth.

She never liked Kyubey, not even when the critter first approached her. Something just stood out to her as WRONG with him, but her desperation, coupled with his sweet words, pushed her to make her decision. And she regrets it to this day.

That same regret pushed her to encourage Amai in her pursuit to become a magical girl. At least Amai would have the choice to save her mother and brother.

"_Nagisa, may I ask a question?_" Kyubey's voice tore through her pondering.

The whitette groaned. "What?"

"_Where exactly did you disappear to? We had a difficult time trying to find your location. It's the first time a magical girl managed to do so._"

"Maybe I didn't want to be found." She grumbled.

"_We suppose we can imagine that. We recall you weren't exactly thrilled to see us again after you made your wish. Why is that?_"

Nagisa chose not to answer, coming to a stop some way ahead. She studied her gem for a moment. "It's really strong here..." She looked down. Below her, she saw a group of people walking the dark streets. "That doesn't look suspicious whatsoever."

"_From the looks of it, this is a recently formed witch_." Kyubey speculated.

"How can you tell?"

"_The basic way it gathers its prey. It's not obvious enough to attract the suspicion of other humans but if you know what you're looking for, it's child's play. Go down there and take a look for yourself_."

Nagisa really wanted to ignore him, but considering his knowledge of the witches, she knew it wouldn't be wise. With her magic's help, she slowly descended to the ground, landing within the group. Kyubey hoped onto her shoulder. She grimaced, glaring at him.

"_Take a look at one of their necks; there you will find the witch's kiss._"

"I know!" Nagisa bit out before approaching one of the humans.

None of them paid her any mind as she stepped close to one of them to investigate. Sure enough she saw a symbol appearing like a pair of lips on their neck.

It was going to take some work to clear them out, but Nagisa was ready to dispel the curse. Focusing her will, she tighten her grip around her Soul Gem, willing it to intercept with the witch's magic. She was met with resistance, but the tendrils of tainted magic started to pull apart.

By the time the witch's mark was fully dispelled, the humans fully regained consciousness. Some of them looked around in shock while the others stood looking confused. Nagisa hid in the shadows, casting them one look before moving on.

"I think I caught the witch's magic signature." If Nagisa looks closely into her Gem, she sees a particular spot glowing brightly than the rest – especially among the tainted portions.

"_The advantages of dispelling a witch's kiss with your magic,_" Kyubey commented, leaning forward to take a closer look. "_However, you'll need to get your Gem purified soon._"

"I'm aware!"

"_You'll need to be more careful on how you use your magic from here on out. We wouldn't recommend that you confront the witch; it would be safer if you shadowed it first._"

Nagisa didn't dignify it with an answer; Kyubey admittedly had a point, but she wasn't going to admit it. She debated retreating for the night, which wasn't an option. If she wanted a Grief Seed, she needed to confront the witch.

She jumped back onto a roof to get into a higher vantage point. Nagisa looked around first – and snapped her head back in surprise.

"Amai?"

The brunette ran down the streets like she had the hounds chasing after her. Nagisa wondered why she wasn't at home with the rest of the girls, but her questions took a step back once she remembered where the witch's location originated from. Her heart thumped sharply and she quickly made to move. "Kyubey! Can't you communicate with her somehow?!"

"_Hold on – Amai!_" The girl continued running, but Nagisa did see her running pause a bit. "_Amai! What is wrong?_"

The brunette didn't answer instead she kept running. "Kyubey! You have to warn her! She's heading towards the witch!"

"_Amai! Turn back! You're entering dangerous territory!_"

Amai continued to ignore them, not even bothering to respond to them.

"_She's not listening!_"

"We have to go after her!" Nagisa jumped down from the roof. A few burst of magic had her catch up to Amai fairly quick, but by the time she approached her she skid to a stop and jumped behind a nearby building.

"_Why did we stop?_"

Nagisa took a moment to confirm what she saw. "There's someone there."

She couldn't see them clearly at first, but they approached Amai as if they knew her. Nagisa's eyes widen when they came into full view.

* * *

~ Witch's Labyrinth ~

"Seriously, why are you crying?"

Amai tried her best to blink her tears away. She swept her arm against her face, in a futile attempt to brush the tears away. All the same, she refused to answer to Kyoko.

The redhead sighed. "Not in the mood for talking, huh? Kind of sad seeing you like this considering how you were the other day." Kyoko scratched the back of her head, shuffling in place. "Look, I get it; your upset, but this isn't a good place to be running around right now. Not the way you are, anyway"

The brunette looked at her oddly in question.

"Do you seriously not feel anything wrong in the air?" Kyoko gestured around her.

Amai frowned. "What are you saying?"

Kyoko groaned, slapping her hand against her face. "Something bad is going to happen, colossal bad."

"A gang fight?"

"Worse, you dumbass!" Kyoko shouted. A dark shadow passed over the redhead's face as she turned her head to the side. "Too late."

Their surroundings began to warp. Amai drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, shit, a witch..."

Kyoko turned back to face her. "Now you got it."

"Amai!" The two girls looked at the newcomer.

"Nagisa!" Amai called out. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't listen...!"

"It doesn't matter! You need to transform, now! The witch is nearly here!"

Amai nodded her head and held her hand out to call upon her Soul Gem. Once the gem came into existence, she tightened her hold on it and focused her magic, ensuing her transformation. "Sorry, I'll get to work with you, Nagisa."

"Well, now that that's out of the way..." Kyoko muttered. The whitette and brunette watched as a glow of red flashed on her hand, eyes widening as a Soul Gem appeared. Kyoko's body was surrounded in red as she turned into a magical girl; in place of her regular clothes, she wore a red, sleeveless coat with a long tail with frills, a short red skirt, thigh-high black socks, and red knee-high boots. Kyoko watched in satisfaction at the dumbfounded looks on their faces. She tapped her foot on the floor, a red circle appeared on the floor, and a spear jumped out from the hole which she caught and twirled in her hand with ease. "Ready to get this show on the road?" She said with a smirk.

"Wh-what? You're a magical girl!?" Amai cried out.

"_Yes, she is._" Kyubey jumped off of Nagisa's shoulder. "_Good to see you again, Kyoko_."

"I guess I can say the same for you, you little furball." Kyoko grinned.

"I can't say I'm really surprised," Nagisa muttered with her arms crossed while glaring at Kyubey.

"_Don't look at me. You never asked about any other magical girls._"

"It would have been nice to know we had allies!" Amai insisted.

"Magical girls are located all over the world," Kyoko explained. "I just came into town recently. Now, look sharp! The labyrinth's forming!"

Their surroundings had fully formed into the jaded domain of the witch, the chatters of the minions coming in. Both Nagisa and Kyoko placed themselves on either side of Amai.

"Listen, Greenhorn," Kyoko snorted at her word, "I'm going to be frank with you; your skills can use a little work, so consider this a crash course on hunting witches by yours truly."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Amai snapped.

"Let me put it to you this way; you suck at hunting them. I watched you myself and it was painful seeing you botch things up. Nagisa does a WAY better job at exterminating them than you."

"Aw, geez, thanks!"

"She's not THAT bad!" Nagisa came to the older girl's defense. "She just needs to get used to things, is all!"

"Well, she'll need to put all that aside if she wants to get things done! Watch this!" Kyoko leaped forward into an approaching group of minions, spear at the ready. She spun the weapon over her head, piercing the weapon through the floor as a wave of her magic knocked the minions off their feet, eradicated a handful of them.

She pulled the spear off the ground, piercing a surviving a minion and slashing the next in a quick succession of movements. Once she finished the last of them, she turned back to the girls with a smirk.

"Like that!"

Amai shook her head, eyes downcast. "Show off..."

"_The witch is further into the labyrinth._" Kyubey mentioned the obvious.

"We'll get right on that, but I might as well give the newcomer some pointers, right?" Kyoko gestured to Amai.

Amai thought about it for a moment. On one hand she could continue training on her own. It wouldn't really be on her own since Nagisa would be helping her. But with Kyoko also offering her expertise, she could gain so much experience so fast... Could she really say no to this?

In the end, she nodded her head. "Deal."

Kyoko grinned. "Then let's do this. Nagisa, we can both train Amai equally. What do you say?"

"I don't have a problem with it. I could also learn a thing or two from you as well." Nagisa admitted.

"I think we can even it out between the three of us. I got a good feeling on what the two of you are good at. In the meantime, I'll show you what I can do!"

Kyoko started running down the labyrinth once she finished with her statement. Amai and Nagisa follow suit.

"So, Kyubey, which way is the witch?" Kyoko asked the critter.

"_Ask Nagisa. If you're serious about learning from each other, then she's your best teacher._"

Nagisa had two sets of eyes on her. "You need to have a solid grip on your magic, and then fan it out to search for other magical signatures."

"Uh, how?" Amai gave her an unsure look on her face.

"If it helps, try holding your Soul Gem. I always find that it helps." She does as she just said, bringing her Gem out and holding it tightly in her grasp. Her eyes closed for a moment before reopening. "This way!" She ran ahead and took the lead.

It didn't take long before another group of minions intercepted them. "Hey, Greenhorn!"

"I have a name!" Amai snapped.

"Not calling you by your name until you can actually take down a witch on your own. Watch and learn!"

Kyoko flicked her hand upward, a finger twitching up and the gem resting on the center of her chest shining a brilliant red. A group of spearheads pierced the ground and through the bodies of the minions. She grinned and turned to the brunette. "Like that!"

Amai looked in awe. With a frown of concentration she tried to focus on something extraordinary. When she held her hand out, a spout of fire emerged and burned the face of an Anthony. It squealed in pain before running off.

She grunted; not impressive enough.

Kyoko sighed. "Try thinking about your weapon! You have magic now! So it shouldn't be so hard for you to just... think it up!"

Amai huffed, but followed Kyoko's advice nonetheless. She looked down at the pair of chakrams that served as her weapons. The minions were the focus of her attention in the next moment. Squinting her eyes, she focused her thoughts on the chakrams but slightly different – maybe they were made of fire.

Like that, two fires formed at the opposite sides of the group. From the flames, the distinct shapes of her chakrams emerged and cut through the group of minions. Burnt carcasses and ashes along with the dying flames of her spell remained afterwards.

Letting out a breath she failed to realize she was holding, Amai collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.

"Hey, not bad!" Kyoko complimented.

"But you consumed a lot of magic!" Nagisa rushed to Amai's side, helping her back to her feet.

"Using spells is not easy," Amai commented with a sigh.

"But, hey, as magical girls, we have the power to do whatever we want with our magic!" Kyoko insisted. "It's just a matter of practicing and applying it. You're not going to learn without experience after all. Let's keep going forward. Nagisa!" She shouted out of the blue. "Show us your stuff!"

"Okay! Come on, Amai. I know you can do it!" Nagisa encouraged the older girl. "You don't have to materialize your gem; just take a hold of it!"

Amai held up her hand and looked at it for a moment. "Just one problem – I don't know where my gem is now."

"Oh... well, uh, that's a problem..." Nagisa thought about it. "Okay, I won't have you try to sense out the witch; instead, try to see if you can sense OUR magical signatures. We're close to you, so it shouldn't be too hard."

The brunette nodded her head, and closed her eyes in an effort to concentrate. She tried to do what Nagisa mentioned earlier – reaching her magic out from within herself and feeling out any other magical signs. For a word to describe the experience, it would be... difficult. Amai noticed when she tried to reach into her magical reserves that she had quite the abundance in magic. She only wanted to use some of her magic for the task and it felt like her entire magic capacity wanted to spill over. She struggled to keep use only what she wanted to use – a task which proved to be harder than she thought.

Amai let her breath out in a gasp, her eyes flying open.

Nagisa reached for her, trying her best to hold her up. "Are you all right?!"

"Geez, that's just sad." Kyoko commented. She leaned against her spear as she watched the other two magical girls train. "At the rate we're going, the witch is going to get away."

"Oh, you just wait!" Nagisa snapped before turning her attention back to Amai. "We'll try that again some other time, Amai-neechan. Let's move forward."

Amai only nodded her head, trying her best to get back up to her feet with little help.

With a glare at Kyoko, Nagisa said, "Okay, I'll lead the way now."

Kyoko once again gestured for her to walk ahead. The three began to walk forward -

\- and in the next moment fell through the floor. All three of them yelled as they sailed through empty space.

Kyoko recovered first, kicking her feet out to summon a glyph and jump towards what she believed to be wall of the hole. When she came into contact with a surface, her magic gathered at the soles of her feet, keeping hold.

Kyubey, his paws digging onto Nagisa's shoulders, called out to her and Amai. "_Use your magic! Do not forget – when you are in the witches' domain, your magic is your lifeline!_"

Between the two of them, Amai made the first move. In spite of her racing heart, she reached out for Nagisa and willed her magic to slow their fall. Nagisa, feeling the pressure around her slow down, summoned a bubble around them. In the safety of the orb, the two of them caught their breaths.

"That... was close." Amai breathed.

Nagisa could only nod her head.

"_That could have been executed better, but you've shown that you're reflexes are in place._"

"Geez, thanks." Amai rolled her eyes.

"The witch is moving." Nagisa announced.

"Joy. So is it heading towards us or what?"

"No, I think it's just on the move since its aware we're in its territory. Not to mention I did interfere with its hunt."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"Yeah, but I'll explain later. Right now..." Nagisa trailed off glancing downward for a moment to see if there was a floor for them to land on. When she noticed nothing but space, she turned to look for Kyoko, seeing her to the upper right of where Nagisa and Amai were hovering. "Do you see a way out?" She called out.

"No, but we can make a way out!" Kyoko leaped towards one of the glass windows against the wall's surface – upon closer inspection, Nagisa noticed the windows were more actually what looked to be TV screens, each of them only showing static. The screen Kyoko headed towards held a week magical discharge compared to the rest of the room.

'_A week spot._' Nagisa realized.

The whitette looked to Amai. "Hey, I'm going to release the bubble. When I do, do you think you can propel us towards Kyoko?"

"Huh? Oh, I – sure, I can try." Amai was far from sure of herself, but if she didn't try, she wouldn't get any better with her magic. Dispelling the bubble was as simple as Nagisa popping the surface with a single finger. Once the two of them were in the air, Amai gathered the magic inside her to the soles of her feet and willed it to push her towards Kyoko.

The redhead smashed through the TV screen, entering a whole new hall; Amai and Nagisa followed her through right behind her. Once the three of them landed in place, they took a moment to survey the new area. It wasn't much different from the previous area, only instead of the line of screens being again the wall, the line laid beneath them like a floor.

"Bet if we follow this it'll lead us to the witch." Kyoko announced. "Let's go."

Amai and Nagisa looked at each other, and with a nod of their head stepped forth. The brunette attempted to gather her courage for the next fight. Even with her inability to locate the witch with her magic, she began to feel a steadily increasing pressure of a powerful creature. "Is that the witch?"

"Oh, yeah. We're getting close." After Kyoko's response, the three of them stopped in front of a large television screen. "In there."

Amai stepped forward. She held a hand forward, as if to touch the screen. "So we just go through?"

"Yep. Like this!"

Amai let out a shout as she fell forward through the screen. The fall ended in an instant, but in the time it took for her to attempt to step, she felt something make contact with the skin of her arms and legs. Before she could think about it, her arms and legs gave out from under her as her limbs fanned out. She yelled again, frantically looking left and right, seeing one-winged minions pulling at her hands and feet.

"Uh, guys! A little help!" Amai tried to turn her head behind her to look.

Nagisa fidgeted in place, unsure what to do. "Hold on!" A spear blocked her path.

"Hold it." Kyoko smirked, looking down at Amai. "Why don't you try figuring this out yourself, Greenhorn. Show us you got what it takes to be a magical girl. Otherwise..." She chuckled. "Well, it's no skin off my nose if you kick the bucket here!"

"What the hell?!" In the instant her rage kicked in, Amai pulled against her captives. While she didn't successfully free all of her limbs, she tore the arms off of one minion with her left arm and the momentum of her right leg threw the minion holding it to the surface. "You can't do this to me!"

"Hell yeah, I can! It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, both in the normal world and in the magical world! If you don't meet the cut, then you're dead. Plain and simple! You honestly thought I was going to train you? Not like that!" The smile left Kyoko's face and was replaced by a serious frown. "Prove to me you've got what it takes; otherwise, you're not worth my time."

Amai stayed in silence for a while, giving the minions time to recover and encircle her again. When one of the minions tried to reach for her hand, her chakram materialized in a burst of flames. She threw the weapon in an arc, promptly beheading all four of the minions.

She remained floating there, looking left and right for any signs for the witch. A few screens floated in the surroundings. Amai glanced through all of them, trying to see if any of them would lend her a clue to the witch's whereabouts.

To the upper right, a screen flickered.

With a roar, Amai flew towards it, weapons at the ready. She threw one chakram to the screen, shattering it.

At realizing it was founded, the witch flew out of another screen.

'_There_!' Amai's senses were flaring, turning around and letting her chakram fly.

The witch turned around, a television appearing in her hands; the chakram flew into the screen and out of existence.

Amai's eyes widen in shock. She jumped back, trying to put some distance between her and the witch. Her other chakram went into the air next, but the same results happened.

'_Damn it!_' The witch raised her arms, and threw the television at Amai. It came at her in high velocity, slamming against her. She gave a cry as she landed in a heap. The attack hurt, but to Amai's surprise it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She struggled to get back onto her feet, her breath hectic.

Her eyes caught something at the side of her feet; within the shattered remains of the witch's relic were her weapons. She willed them to return to her, the chakrams cool in her embrace. The witch circled around her, eyeing her next move. Amai's eyes stayed on the witch for a moment before they flickered over to where Nagisa stood with Kyoko and Kyubey.

'_What did that furball say about our magic... it being our best allies?_' If there was one thing Amai learned about her magic, it was not a tamed beast. But she blamed it on her lack of control and just not knowing how to use it.

Right now, inexperienced or not, she needed to depend on it.

She let go of her chakrams, the weapons floating in place. With a breath, Amai gathered her magic into her hands. Green fire floated from her hands. She spun her hands around, the balls of fire spreading further away from her and rotating around her. The witch stood still as the fire multiplied around her. She let out a cry, swinging her arms through the flames in an effort to get rid of them.

But it wasn't going to happen. Amai grinned; it was how she's envisioning it.

This witch would burn.

Once enough balls of fire formed around the witch, Amai thrust her arms forward, her chakrams tackled forward in a charge to spin around the witch. The fireballs quickly followed suit, picking up speed and forming a huge bonfire. The witch gave a cry of pain as it was engulfed.

The labyrinth began to fade away. In the midst of the dying flames, an orb shaped object remained.

From up ahead, Kyoko clapped her hands. "Nice job. Didn't take you as long as I thought it would. Actually, you did better than I expected."

"Amai! Are you all right?!" Nagisa jumped down from the ledge and ran towards the magical girl, picking up the Grief Seed along the way. "Here, your Soul Gem needs this."

"Huh?" Amai took the gem, looking at it strangely. "What do I do?"

"Just place the Seed against your Gem." Nagisa gestured for Amai to summon her gem. Once she did, Nagisa demonstrated what needed to be done, placing the Grief Seed against the green Soul Gem. Amai watched, her eyes focused on the darkness gathered inside her Gem and how it slowly inched towards the Seed, cleansing it.

"Wow."

"Yeah, remember, you have to clean your Gem; it's very important."

"And these... Seeds... we get them from witches?"

"Which is another reason why we have to go after them." Kyoko finished, stepping into their space. "So, do you think you got the hang of it?"

Amai nodded after a while. "Yeah." She took a look at the Seed Nagisa left in her hand. "What do I do with it?"

"_Keep it,_" Kyubey responded. "_It still has some use._"

"Okay."

"Are you feeling tired?" Kyoko asked.

Amai thought about it, and in that moment it felt like the weight of the world pressed against her. "I'm not going to lie; I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Guess you're not up for another hunt. Still, you better get use to it; sometimes, you're not going to get a break like this." Kyoko's hand rested on Amai's shoulder. "You did good, though. I can say you've earned this."

Kyoko grinned, Amai returned the grin.

"Hey, Kyubey, I'll give a shout if I want to go hunting with these girls again."

"_Are you sure, Kyoko?_"

"What?"

"_...Nevermind. We'll save it for some other time._"

Kyoko shrugged. "Whatever."

"Hey, Kyoko."

The redhead turned to Amai. "I'll do you one better; come to my restaurant tomorrow."

Kyoko took a step back in surprise. "Y-your restaurant?!"

"Yeah. I'll treat you to lunch there, and then the three of us can go hunting. What do you say?"

Kyoko looked like she was in pain. "I... Fine! Where is this place?"

"_We can lead you there, if you'd like._"

"Oh, no! You stay the hell away from the restaurant, rat!"

"_We're not rats._"

"I don't care!"

"Amai, we really should get going." Nagisa interrupted with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Later, Kyoko!" The brunette waved as she and the whitette walked away.

Kyoko resisted the urge to wave back, looking down instead at Kyubey who remained. "So, what do you want to say to me?"

Kyubey stared at her strangely. "_We're just surprised you chose to help her. Our analyzes of you shows you are not so open to accepting, so we're wondering what changed your mind._"

She snorted. "Don't think too hard on it, furball." She waved at Kyubey and walked away from the site.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Dark Alleyway ~

A few minutes later, she's returned to her civilian clothes, walking to a more quiet portion of town. Kyoko held a box of pocky, slowly munching a stick. Her walk came to a halt after a while.

"Hiya, girl." Kyoko called out. It took a few seconds, but a girl stepped out of the shadows following her greeting. "I kept an eye on her, just like you asked."

The girl stayed silent.

"You want her to stay alive, right?" Kyoko turned around to face her, expression serious. "To go up against Walpurgis Nacht."

The raven nodded. "Yes, that's right."

Kyoko smirked. "Something tells me there's another reason. Not going to bother pondering. Just wanted to know if that ultra-boss witch's going to show up any time soon."

"No. It's odd. At the rate we're going, I thought there would be signs of its approach, but I haven't sensed anything..."

"Well, whatever, we have to stay in touch so we can respond to the threat as quickly as possible." Kyoko turned away. "I'm off. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

The girl shook her head. "No, you can go."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Juudai turned towards the door once she heard it open. "Welcome back." She called.

Nagisa and Amai stepped down the hall, the youngest of the pair waving enthusiastically and the oldest sluggishly waving as well. Juudai's eyes widen. "Oh, my God. Amai! You look awful!"

"Geez, thanks. It seems tonight is pick-on-Amai night."

Juudai rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it." She turned to Nagisa. "Witch hunt?"

Nagisa nodded her head. "She did a good job. She eliminated the witch on her own!"

Juudai walked up to Amai, looking her in the eye. They held each other's gaze before Juudai started to smile. "Glad to see you made it back safe."

Amai smiled as well. "Aw, you missed me~" She yelped when Juudai hit her arm.

"Of course, I did, silly. Did you eat? Do you want to eat? Wait, wash up first. You probably stink."

"Aw~ Juudy! I knew you cared about me!" Amai cooed as the younger girl pushed her towards the bathroom.

"You, too, Nagisa!" Juudai threw over her shoulder. "Get washed up first before you eat!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Nagisa trotted after Juudai.

In the bathroom, Juudai started filling up the bathtub for the girls as they got changed in their rooms. She sat back, watching as the water slowly rose to the top. She thought about everything that's happened in the last few days. Homura hasn't exactly been avoiding her, but the girl was crushing on a pinklette, and considering how close Madoka was to Mami, they were obviously going to be spending time together. Now that Amai was a magical girl, she would run off with Nagisa to fight these supernatural threats to people. With them gone, it more or less left Juudai with Xavier and the rest of the Asurito household.

Admittedly, it gets a little lonely. Juudai sighed. She couldn't exactly do anything about it; all she could do is wait patiently for Amai and now Nagisa to arrive home safely.

The door opened, and Nagisa slipped inside. "Amai is right behind me." The girl settled down next to Juudai.

"Judy! Come into the bath with me!" Amai ran into the room and threw herself onto Juudai's back.

"Get off of me! You're filthy!"

"Aw, you already washed up?"

"Yes. Now do your business; I'm going downstairs to prepare your food." Juudai stepped out and headed towards the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and starting pulling out the containers of food from the restaurant.

As she went ahead and started reheating everything, she heard a knock on the window. On impulse, she looked up to see outside, jumping slightly when she saw a face. Her heart continued racing as she tried to discern who it was. Her eyes widen. "It's you..." The girl made the gesture for the window to be opened. "What are you doing here?" Juudai asked afterwards.

"Did Asurito and Momoe arrive safely?" The raven asked.

Juudai nodded her head. "Yes, they did. Did you bring them home? Thank you."

The girl shook her head in response. "I didn't do anything. I just wanted to make sure. And you? Are you thinking of becoming a magical girl as well?"

"Of course not. I'm not swayed by anything Kyubey says. I'm more curious about him than being able to use magic. You really are adamant about that."

"I have my reasons." The girl went quiet for a moment. "I guess I'm just a bit... happy."

"About what?"

She looked at her, eyes sad. "For listening to me. Thank you. I can only hope that you continue to listen – you and Miss Kaname."

"Madoka?" Juudai felt confused that the pinklette would be mentioned out of the blue.

"Sorry. I spoke out of line. I'll be going now." The girl turned away, looking over her shoulder. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"Hold on." The girl stopped and waited for Juudai to speak. "Can you... can you watch over Amai and Nagisa whenever they're out? I know... that might be a lot to ask, but if I can't be there to watch them myself, can you do it for me? I don't want to just wait, but it's all I can do. But it gets nerve-wrecking just waiting. Can I ask that of you?"

The girl stayed quiet. She turned to face Juudai. "I can't make any promises. As magical girls we must follow our own paths. We can't be at the same place at the same time. ...But I will try."

Juudai sighed and smiled. "That's good enough for me. Thank you."

The other girl blushed before jumping out of sight.

The orangette continued staring out the window for a while, lost in thought. When the door slammed open, she was shook out of her thoughts. She turned to see Xavier has entered the room.

"Is Nagisa here?"

"What about Amai?" Juudai smirked.

"Her, too." Xavier glared at her slightly, sticking his tongue out at her. "You know what I mean."

"I know, _lucellino_. I was just teasing you." She ruffled her little brother's hair. "Came for a snack?"

"Yeah. I wanted to bring some to Nagisa."

"I think she and Amai are heading this way. Just stick around." Juudai went back to preparing the dishes. "Tell me what you want."

A few minutes after setting down Xavier's plate, Nagisa entered the room. "Once again, Amai is right behind me." She paused and looked at the plate next to Xavier. "Is that one mine?"

The boy pushed it her way. "Yes."

"Thank you!" Nagisa pulled out a chair.

Amai entered the room the next minute. "Judy! My arms are sore! Can you spoon feed me?!" A spoon hit her on the head. "Ow!"

"Feed yourself!" Juudai snapped. As Amai groaned about it, Juudai turned away and smiled. For now she was fine with this. Everyone was home safe and sound, and she could take care of them the best that she could on the sidelines.

She huffed exaggeratedly, turning back to face Amai. "I guess I can do it for now."

Amai squealed, taking a seat. "You do love me!"

"You know I do."


	10. Chapter 10: Lunch Dates & Apprenticeship

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**~ Chapter 10: Lunch Dates &amp; Apprenticeship ~**

~ Mitakihara City: Park ~

Madoka shuffled her feet, waiting for Sayaka to show up. The sun hung low in the sky, giving a warm glow near the horizon and over Mitakihara. Most of the children in the park were starting to leave for home the moment she arrived. The swing set remained empty until Madoka walked up to it and took a seat on a swing.

Humming, the pinklette kicked her feet back and started to pick up momentum. She was swinging up a good height after a minute, overlooking the near barren park. Each time she ascended, her gaze passed over the park grounds looking for Sayaka.

Once she spotted blue hair, she settled her feet on the ground to stop. "Sayaka!"

The blunette came running to her side once she heard her. "Madoka! You're here!"

"Of course, I am! I wasn't going to leave you alone!"

"Great! I think I found a suspicious spot, so let's get going!" Sayaka reached for Madoka's hand and started pulling her to one direction.

"Sayaka! Wait!" The girl in question stopped in her tracks, turning to look at her friend. Madoka started twiddling her fingers. "I told Homura to come along as well."

"What?!" Madoka flinched. "What the hell, Madoka?!"

"We're both worried about you, Sayaka! If Homura comes along, I know the two of us could keep a better watch over you!"

Sayaka sighed, placing a hand on her face. She wanted to get started as soon as possible, but from the looks of it, they needed to wait a while longer. "Fine." She took a seat on the swing set. "We'll wait a little longer, but if she doesn't show up after a while, we're leaving. I want to get started soon."

"Okay, I understand." Madoka sat along with her. "How have things been the last few days?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You haven't talked to me during the weekend. So how are things going with you and Kyousuke?" Sayaka blushed. "Aha! I knew it!"

"You knew what?! You don't know nothing!"

"So... you haven't confessed to him?"

Sayaka looked away. "No, not yet."

"How come you haven't done so?"

"I... I'm not sure what he'll say. What if he rejects me?"

"You don't know that if you don't try."

"But this is too soon. He'll say no for sure."

"Well, you're right. It might be too early. But you should do it soon," Madoka insisted. "Just ask him to a hangout; maybe to Asurito-chan's restaurant!"

"Isn't that a bit too forward?"

Madoka shook her head. "It's just a friendly hangout! What do you have to lose? Besides, he's been in the hospital for so long; I'm sure he'll appreciate a friendly date."

Sayaka's face redden. "Y-yeah, that does sound like a good idea."

"Yeah! Go for it, Sayaka!" Madoka cheered.

"Kaname-chan! Miki-chan!"

The two girls turned to look at Homura as she ran towards them, waving. She had a smile on her face as she stopped in front of them. "I'm sorry I took so long! I was trying to prepare for this."

Sayaka looked at her in question. "Prepare for what?"

Homura's smile grew as she brought the bag she was carrying with her forward. Her hand slipped inside and pulled out a white box out. "Here!"

"A first-aid kit?"

"In-in case you get hurt..." Homura added, looking less confident by the second.

"That's a great idea, Homura!" Madoka beamed. Homura blushed.

"Yeah, I can't exactly say that's bad..." Sayaka reluctantly added. "Okay, then we can get started now, right?" The other two girls nodded their heads. "Let's go. It's this way!"

The three of them ran out of the park, heading east at a brisk pace.

"I was following Mami's advice from the other day!" Sayaka explained. "She said that witches tend to show up in abandoned places or dreary places, so this weekend, I decided to check out this alleyway not far from home. My Soul Gem reacted!"

"You didn't get attacked while you were searching, did you?"

"No, Madoka! I just skimmed through the place! Trying to see if it was a big one, or if it was active. The last I checked it seemed to be like asleep!"

"So it wasn't bothering anyone..." Homura said thoughtfully.

Sayaka nodded. "Yeah, but it doesn't mean it won't start soon. So I'm going to get rid of it before it makes a move. It's not far; just another ten minutes."

When they arrived, they stopped at the mouth of an alley. Homura wrinkled her nose. "It stinks."

"Yeah, I noticed that too the first time." Sayaka covered her nose for a moment before lowering her arm. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Her hand rose up – the hand with her ring. The blue Soul Gem materialized, landing in her hand. Sayaka threw the Gem in the air; a brilliant, blue flash shone and her form was enveloped in the light. A few moments passed by, and the light faded away. Sayaka was left in a strapless blue top and skirt, a white cape hung over her shoulders. A pair of greaves covered her hands. She wore white thigh-high socks with blue ankle high boots.

Sayaka threw her cape back, and from within summoned two swords. After taking one each in her hand, she turned her attention to Madoka and Homura. "I'm not so great at using defensive spells, so try to stay as close to me as possible while I try to find this witch."

The two of them nodded. Sayaka took another breath and stepped into the labyrinth perimeter.

* * *

~ Alleyway: Witch's Labyrinth ~

Homura hugged the first aid kit close to her chest as she and Madoka stayed behind Sayaka. The three of them made their way slowly in the labyrinth. The raven gazed nervously left and right, jumping slightly at every shadow she saw move. One of the movements flickered and sent her into Madoka. The pinklette turned to look at her friend. "Homura, are you all right?!"

The girl in question took a moment to answer, shivering slightly. "Y-yes. I thought something was going to jump us."

"Don't worry, it's just the shadows," Sayaka provided. "The minions aren't around us for some reason." Sayaka examined their surroundings. "I guess this witch is newly formed or something. It's kind of weird there aren't any minions around."

"Is that a good thing?" Madoka asked.

"I'm not sure. It's really ssstttrrANGE!" Sayaka jumped back, pushing Madoka and Homura back. "It's a trap!" The floor crumbled away, a hole forming and expanding. Sayaka pushed the two back as the hole continued to grow. When everything settled down, Sayaka took a deep breath and looked down below – the chasm seemed to have no end. "I don't think we're going this way."

"W-w-w-what do we do?" Homura asked. Her breath began to get erratic.

"Homura-chan! Calm down! Look at me," Madoka insisted. The raven looked at the pinkette as instructed. "Everything is going to be all right, okay?"

Homura nodded, taking a gulping breathe of air.

"Hey, Akemi, if things get too rough, let me know? I can lead you out, okay?" Sayaka suggested.

"No! It's all right!" Homura shook her head. "I want to keep going!"

Sayaka shrugged. "All right, if you insist... Let's try to find another way around."

They backtracked, looking around for a bit before they found another trail, far more obscured than the first.

"One thing's for sure, this place sure is dank," Sayaka commented.

"A-and it stinks..." Homura added.

"I wonder how this relates to the witch," Madoka thought.

Homura eyed the line trinkets and objects on the floor. "We are in an alley... and the smell... maybe it has to do with trash?"

"That's a possibility. Hold on, I see something." Sayaka held out a hand to signal them to stop.

Up ahead, the ringing sound could be heard. Approaching them were a small group of minions. Homura didn't recognize their appearances from any other minions she'd seen before. When she got a closer look, she saw a resemblance between them and a tin can. "I sense a trash theme..."

"The witch's powers are based off their surroundings?" Sayaka suggested with a laugh.

"Or maybe their personalities?" Madoka said.

The other girls looked at her in confusion. "Personalities?"

Madoka flinched in embarrassment. "I don't know. It's just that the first witch we ever saw didn't exactly fit the theme of a mall."

"Hmm, no, you got a point." Sayaka held a sword up towards the enemies as she thought on it. "Kind of, sort of; you do see plants in a mall."

"But it had a rose garden theme!"

"Yeah, I guess."

Homura pulled Madoka back; Sayaka took a stance, sword raised, and with a cry threw herself into the fray. While she didn't know much about swordplay, Homura thought Sayaka was doing a good job for her first time out. The minions hardly stood a chance against her blade once she swipe it cleanly through them. A few times, Sayaka jumped back when some of the minions chose to attack her with what appeared to be a sludge-like attack, but the blunette easily sidestepped it and countered.

Once the last of them fell, Sayaka gulped a few times for breath before turning to Madoka and Homura with a large grin. "Minions felled! Let's keep going!"

The three of them resumed their walk. After a few minutes, Madoka asked, "Sayaka, do you know where the witch is?"

"Uh, not really. I was just going to walk around in the labyrinth until I run into it."

Madoka went silent after uttering an affirmation. Homura, on the other hand, remained puzzled. "Miki-chan, is that really a wise thing to do?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You're expending energy exploring the witch's labyrinth like this. Surely there's some way to locate the witch faster?"

Sayaka's look of confusion was replaced with one of frustration after a moment. "W-well, I wouldn't know where to find it."

A rare look of annoyance crossed Homura's face. "Miki-chan, you must consider your options! After all, what good will you be against the witch if you are exhausted? How can you protect Madoka like that?"

"H-Homura!"

Sayaka casts a look over Madoka as she calls the raven out. Homura continues. "You need to do this as efficiently as possible for the best results. We can try searching for signs that will lead us to the witch." Homura ran ahead, keeping her eyes peeled.

"Homura, be careful!"

The raven respond that she would to Madoka before continuing forward. The hall started getting more cluttered with what appeared to be garbage the further she moved ahead. Homura slowed her running to a brisk pace as she tiptoed past the trash. The sounds of footsteps began picking up and Sayaka was by her side.

"Geez, can you wait up?! I'm the magical girl here! Shouldn't I be the one in the lead? You're lucky none of the minions showed up to attack you!" The blunette stopped in front of Homura to glare at her... before her gaze soften to uncertainty. "But I got to admit; you have a point. What do you suggest we do?"

Homura held up a hand, turning around to see Madoka approaching them. After ensuring the pinklette's safety, she turned back to Sayaka. "I don't know if we're going the right way, but look." Homura pointed down to the path of garbage. "The trash seems to be building up, so we might be heading the right way."

"All right, then. Let's go."

The three of them continued down the trail, but they didn't make it far before Madoka let out a scream. Homura immediately turned around to see a minion taking a hold of Madoka's ankle, the pinklette struggling to free herself from its grasp.

"Get away from her!" Homura launched herself forward, pulling her leg back and kicking the minion away from Madoka.

"Watch out!" Sayaka cried. Several of the cans became animated, and the three girls sprinted forward to get away. They kept running pass minions rising from their previously dormant positions until they broke through a room. A door slamming shut behind them kept the minions away. "I-is everyone all right?"

"I'm fine, Sayaka," Madoka replied, pulling herself closer to Homura. "What about you?"

Homura was about to reply when a slight stab of pain made her hiss.

"Ah! Are you hurt?!"

"Maybe..." Homura checked the pain's origin. Lifting her leg with a wince, she noticed a tear in her stockings around her knee, the skin there red and agitated as blood began to gather and spill.

"You are... Homura, your first aid kit!"

"Oh! Right." The raven brought up her backpack and pulled the first aid kit out of it. She took out a bottle of water from her bag, spilling its contents slightly on her knee. Her handkerchief was then used to pat the area dry before she tore a packet containing the antibiotic cream and applied it to the wound. She finished it up with a piece of gauze. "There."

"Came in handy after all." Sayaka grinned.

"Here let me help you up..." A blush crept onto Homura's face as Madoka helped her back up on her feet. "Can you keep going?"

Homura nodded her head. "I think we're getting close."

The three of them didn't need to go far. After walking forward for a while longer, they came across a larger room where the witch roamed. It loomed over them, with what appeared to be a trash bag over a good portion of its body and multiple arms extending out of it. Several of its minions were gathered around it.

"All right, guys! Stand back!" Sayaka jumped into the fray. She threw her cape back, summoning several other swords. The blades levitated around her for a moment before she sent them flying towards the base of the witch. The minions took the brunt of the attack, many of them disappearing into bursts of light.

The witch roared in outrage, lashing out with a swipe of its arms. Sayaka barely managed to dodge and recover. Once she stepped away a good bit, she swung her sword with a flick of the wrist.

The swords still impaled on the floor around the witch began to glow, vibrating with her magic. A ring echoed in the room. The witch roared once again, a series of cries following one after another.

Immobile as it was, Sayaka saw her chance. She jumped back, sword at the ready, and with a cry she launched herself forward. Her sword cut through the witch in one clean slice.

The witch and the labyrinth disappeared in a collection of light. Sayaka stood tall in light of her victory.

"You did it, Sayaka!" Madoka cheered for her friend, running towards her and throwing herself on her.

Sayaka exclaimed in surprise. Homura watched the two of them for a bit before she limped over to where the witch once stood.

"Um, wasn't something supposed to appear here?" Homura asked Sayaka.

"Huh? What?"

"Didn't Tomoe-san say that the witch's drop something when they are defeated?"

"Huh? Wait, you're right..." Sayaka and Madoka walked up to Homura. "It didn't seem to drop anything, though."

"Is that bad?"

"I'm not sure, Madoka. Whatever. I took care of the witch! That's all I care about! Let's go."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Madoka's Residence (Madoka's Room) ~

It was late in the night when Madoka received a phone call. Her phone said it was an unknown number, but it persisted. She counted – eleven rings – and she picked it up before the twelfth. "Hello?"

"Madoka Kaname."

The pinklette's back straighten. An image of a raven girl with long hair and sad purple eyes flashed in Madoka's mind. "You... How do you know my number?"

"That's not important. I wanted to talk to you about something, if you're available that is."

"Um, y-yes, I am. Where do you want to meet up?'

"The café in the mall. You know the one – your favorite."

Reflexively, Madoka smiled, whispering the name. "But how do you know that?"

"Again, not important." The girl gave her the time. "Also, do you mind if I invite someone to join us?"

"Not at all. Is it someone I know?"

"In a way, yes."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mall ~

Madoka found out, when she arrived at the cafe after school the next day, who the other companion was. "Nao-chan!"

Juudai looked up at the name. "Oh, Kaname-chan?"

"Are you here because...?" Madoka didn't know how to word it.

"Because of her, right?" Juudai provided.

Madoka nodded – no specification was needed.

"Should we order something while we wait?"

Juudai hummed in agreement. "I haven't been here before. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Let's see..." Madoka listed off a few of the things she and Sayaka loved to order.

Juudai jotted them down, studying the paper for a moment as she made her decision. She headed towards the counter once she also wrote down Madoka's order.

"Wait! Can you also order this?" Madoka pointed at something on the menu. Juudai nodded her head and made the order. After she was done, she returned to her seat to wait for her order.

The two of them entered a moment of silence. Madoka tried to figure out what to say next.

"Um, how is Asurito-chan?"

Juudai started. "Oh, she's doing all right, for the most part."

"H-how so? If you don't mind me asking!" Madoka swiftly added, holding her hands up.

The orangette chuckled. "No, it's fine. It's just... how do I put it?" Juudai stayed quiet for a moment. "I think she's starting to realize this Magical Girl thing is a lot more demanding than she expected."

"Did something happen to her?"

"Nothing bad, she's just returning home more exhausted than normal. There's also the fact her parents aren't aware of her recent actions. She can't exactly explain why she's so tired, and it's kind of effecting her at work."

"Really?"

Juudai nodded. "Lack of sleep is understandable when she arrives late and doesn't get much rest. She still has work to do, both at home and for school. I'm trying to help her as much as I can."

"That's really sweet of you." Madoka smiled. "Asurito-chan can count on you."

"I don't know..." Juudai looked so unsure. "I wish I could be more help..."

At that time, Madoka came to realize just how young and frail Juudai truly was. As responsible as the girl acted, the pinklette was reminded this girl was younger than her and dealing with quite a lot.

"If you need someone to talk to, or if you would like some help, you can come find me!" Madoka leaned forward in her seat. "I don't know how much I can help, but we're going through the same thing! I don't know if I'm helping Sayaka much, either."

"Yeah, but given from what I've seen of Miki, I think knowing you got her back is enough."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Juudai smiled. "I might not like her very much, but I can tell from the way she acts that she believes in doing the right thing. Emphasis on that, with how she acted with Amai..."

Madoka giggled. "I'm sorry about that."

"Can't really apologize for that. It's just the way your friend is. You can't change that, in both of our cases." Juudai winked.

Their food came in, and the two of them started digging in. All the while, Juudai stared at the extra plate of food on the side.

"Do you think I shouldn't have done that?" Madoka asked.

"No, I think it's fine. I've always wondered how she gets by. I don't see her at school, and I don't know much about her except that she's a magical girl and apparently knows a lot about that... and about us." Juudai looked Madoka dead in the eye.

"Like our names?"

"And where we live."

"And who are friends are."

"And our phone numbers."

"When you put it that way, you make me sound like I'm some kind of stalker."

The pinklette and the orangette jumped at the new edition. They slowly inclined their heads towards the long-haired girl.

"It's you...!" Madoka stood up from her seat.

"It's me." She responded, taking a seat. She looked down at the plate of food set before her. "Did you get this for me?"

"Y-yes! I hope that's fine!"

The girl went silent. "...Thank you." She replied after a moment.

Madoka nodded her head and sat back down. The girl took a few bites of her food before she spoke to them again.

"So I bet you're wondering why I asked the two of you to come here..."

"Yes..."

"Definitely." Juudai's eyes narrowed at her. "I don't see why you couldn't have spoken to us from our homes since you know where we live."

"I didn't want to risk being seen," she responded. "The other girls would have seen me and that would've brought problems."

'_Is that really what you're worried about_?' Madoka pushed on. "And you were saying...?"

"I wanted to ask the two of you what will you do next."

"Eh...?"

"About being magical girls?" Juudai guessed.

The girl nodded her head. "Exactly."

"But why?" Madoka didn't understand.

"Because, as of now, both of you each have a friend who has made a wish and turned into a magical girl. I wanted to know what you're next move is."

Madoka sunk back in her seat. "I-I'm not sure. I want to be a magical girl, but... I don't have a wish of my own yet." The pinklette looked at Juudai. "What about you, Nao-chan?"

The orangette shook her head. "I have no intention of making a wish. You should know that; I made myself very clear in Tomoe's home."

"Yeah, but... this is an opportunity we've been given. Not everyone is given this chance... Besides, once Kyubey leaves, we might not have that chance again later."

"I'm aware; my answer stays the same." Juudai turned her head towards the girl with long hair. "Does that satisfy you?"

"Yes." The girl gave a rare smile. "Someone at the very least sees sense not to trust Kyubey."

Madoka looked at the girl oddly. "What do you mean by that?"

The girl's smile fell. "The first thing everyone must know about Kyubey is not to trust it. Their contracts hold a lot more weight than what you'd first believe. I hope you take those words to heart, Kaname-san; out of everyone, I want you to make a contract with Kyubey the least."

"Why?"

The girl refused to respond with a shake of her head. "Don't ask about the details. Now, is there any question you want to ask?"

'_You're not giving me much of a choice here, are you_?' Madoka sighed. "Um, it might be too much to ask."

"What is it, Kaname-san?"

"Could you watch over Sayaka for me?"

Juudai's eyes flashed over to Madoka. The girl bowed her head.

"I can't make any promises. Miki made her wish, and everyone must stand by that. A Magical Girl's life is filled with danger; you can't change that, and she willingly made her wish knowing that."

Madoka looked down at her wringing hands. "But... I feel like we can all work together. Wouldn't that be so much better?"

The girl lowered her head. "I can see where you're coming from, but I don't think it can be done." She rose from her seat. "I best be going." And she walked out of sight.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Madoka's Residence ~

Juudai decided to walk Madoka back home. It was the least that could be done after the rather disheartening meeting.

The two of them were silent for a good portion of the walk. Juudai kept quiet to give Madoka a bit of time to process everything. The pinklette kept her head down all the while.

'_I don't know... I feel like I should say something..._' Juudai was no stranger to silence, but in the small amount of time she's known Madoka Kaname, 'quiet' was a word she wouldn't associate with her.

It seemed... disturbing... to see her so sad.

"Hey," Juudai started. "What's on your mind?"

Madoka started, wide eyes taking Juudai in. "Oh! Um, well..."

"I guess that was a bit straightforward. You don't have to answer the question, at the very least talk. It'll help take your mind off of things." Juudai suggested.

"Hmm, well, is it really impossible for Magical Girls to work together?"

"As impossible as it is for people to work together." At Madoka's confused look, Juudai expanded. "In the real world, people can either get along with each other or not. There's some things in between that, yes, but you get the general idea."

"But I still don't get it... why is she so against working with others?"

"It's probably something personal. You can't forget, Kaname, that people have history and sometimes that effects how people make future decisions. She might have had a difficult time handling other magical girls, so that would make her hesitant to deal with others. In all seriousness, if you'll excuse my bluntness, Miki's attitude would probably make it difficult for a lot of people to handle he anyway."

It was the truth of the matter; first impressions are everything and between Miki's behavior and the girl's aloofness, she couldn't imagine the two working well under normal circumstances. People were complex like that.

She let Madoka ponder her thoughts, focusing more on the walk home. Madoka had given her the directions to her home, and Juudai wanted some time to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. The Kaname family lived in a well off neighbor, she quickly noticed. At present, the neighboor was silent with little sign of traffic. From a distance, she did hear the sound of children playing.

"This is a nice place." Juudai commented.

Madoka whispered her gratitude, looking up. "Oh, there's my house!" The pinkette pointed to her home and started running towards it. Juudai followed right behind her. "Papa! Tatsuya! I'm home!"

"Madoka! Madoka!" A little boy tumbled in the hall as Madoka opened the door. The pinkette caught the little boy in her arms when he fell forward, continuously calling her name.

"Have you been a good boy, Tatsuya?"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"Nao-chan, this is my little brother Tatsuya. Tatsuya, this is a new friend of mine."

"Hi!" The little boy waved at the orangette.

Deep down, Juudai struggled not to squeal at the utter adorableness that was Madoka's little brother. Flashbacks to a time when her own little brother was that age came to mind. A hand flew to her mouth as the squeal continued to fight its way out.

Once she believed she got herself under control, she responded, "Hello, Tatsuya. My name is Juudai."

"Hi, Juudai!"

She couldn't stop the squeal.

"Madoka! You're home!" A middle-aged man walked down the hall towards them. "Oh, who's this?" Madoka introduced Juudai to him. "Well, pleasure to meet you, Juudai! I'm Tomohisa Kaname!"

He held his hand out to her for a shake. "Same here, sir."

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

Juudai paused, eyes widening. "I... well, I just came back from lunch with your daughter... I-I couldn't possibly impose..."

Madoka shook her head. "No way, we'd love to have you over, Nao-chan! She can stay for a bit, Papa?"

"Of course, she can! I'm surprised Sayaka isn't here with you."

"She had something to do tonight."

"I'll start getting things ready for dinner later. In the meantime, come on in, Nao-san!"

Juudai followed the family inside the house, all the while looking around in awe. "You have an amazing home."

"Thank you. Madoka, why don't you give her a tour?"

"Yes, Papa! Nao-chan, help me carry Tatsuya, will you?"

Juudai nodded, watching as Madoka looped an arm under Tatsuya's left arm. The orangette took the hint, taking hold of the other arm. The little boy squealed in glee as he was lifted in the air. Madoka pulled the two of them to one direction, stepping into the living room first. Juudai's eyes swept over the glass walls that allowed the view into the garden outside. Tomohisa currently tended to the plants outside, most likely harvesting for the meal later.

As her eyes rested on the dining area linked to the side of the living room, Juudai hesitantly asked, "Is your mother at work?"

Madoka nodded her head. "Yes! She's not going to be here until a little later, though. Maybe you'll see her at dinner! I hope she comes home early."

The tour continued to the other rooms of the house, from the parents' room to Tatsuya's and ending with Madoka's. They settled the little boy on the floor before they sat down themselves.

"I think this is the first time I've had someone over that wasn't Sayaka."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've known Sayaka since I was little. And until recently we made friends with Hitomi and Homura and Mami... and you and Asurito-chan and Momoe-chan!"

Juudai smiled. "Thank you..." Then she blinked. "Oh, speaking of Amai, I should really call her and let her know I'm staying over for a bit."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

"So you're sleeping over?"

"_What part of I'm staying for dinner do you not understand?_" Juudai huffed. Madoka could be heard over the line giggling.

Amai scowled as she passed a rag over the counter top. "I just don't understand why you got permission to stay over Kaname-chan's place easy as that?"

"_Maybe because I actually work._"

"I work, too!"

"_You goof off too much._"

The brunette sighed. "You better not be using this opportunity to feel up Kaname-chan. Homy won't be happy about that."

"_...What exactly do you take me for?_"

"Have fun!" Amai laughed and hung the call. After hanging the phone on the receiver, she returned to her cleaning. Humming the tune of a familiar song, she lifted her head when she heard the door to the cafe open. "Hi! Welcome... Oh, Nagisa!"

The little girl walked up to the counter, a tired smile on her face. "Cheesecake sounds wonderful right now..."

"You can't have any treats until you eat first." Amai waggled her finger at the girl.

Nagisa pouted. "Boo!"

The door rang again and a redhead walked in. "Yo!"

"So you decided to stop by after all?" Amai grinned at Kyouko.

"Of course! Now are you going to serve me some grub or not?"

"Depends – do you have the pay?" Kyouko frowned. "I didn't think so."

"Hey, come on. I'm busy slaying witches. Isn't that enough to get me a free meal around here?"

Amai shrugged. "Not the one to decide that, especially when that's one meal off our profits."

"Well, aren't you stingy? Besides, she's getting food, ain't she?"

"I just want cheesecake, but she won't give me any!"

In the end, while the three of them went into conversation, Amai wound up scratching up a plate of leftovers from the kitchen for Kyoko while preparing something else for Nagisa. As the redhead ate her food without complaints, Amai struggled to get Nagisa to eat hers.

"Hey, I was thinking the three of us could go witch hunting tomorrow."

"Say it, don't spray it." Amai wiped her cheek in disgust.

Kyoko made sure to chew and swallow her food before talking again. "So what do you think?"

"It IS the weekend." Amai shrugged. "Why not?"

"Should we let the others know?" Nagisa asked.

Amai scowled. "Judy and Homy, yes. Maybeee Kaname-chan. But that's it."

"So you have friends who know you're a Magical Girl?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah, they knew about the magical business before me, though."

"Huh..." Kyoko looked away after that, pushing her plate away from her. "Well, I'm done, so I'm out!"

"Do you have a place to stay?" Amai followed the redhead to the door.

"I do. Don't worry about it."

"I wasn't worrying; I just wanted to know cause I'm sure my parents are all for letting you stay the night."

Kyoko trained wide eyes on Amai. "Seriously, we just met and you're already opening your doors to me like that?"

"You just invited yourself to eat at our café, you opened the doors." Amai gasped as Nagisa jumped on her back.

"Come on, stay with us! I can show you Xavier-kun, Jayden-kun and Judy-chan!"

Kyoko stood there, unsure. Amai rolled her eyes, grabbed the redhead's arm and pulled her back in. "Come on. Let me introduce them to you."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mami's Apartment ~

Returning to her home was always a sad occurrence for Mami. No one to greet her, no one to treat her to a snack or light meal while she relaxed unwind after a long day, no one to keep her company. In the emptiness of her apartment, the blonde made her way to the kitchen to prepare herself a cup of tea and a slice of the strawberry cake she made the night before.

While the pot heated up on the stove, Mami made her way to the windows of her apartment, overlooking the view over the city. She counted the number of birds resting on the power line in front of her before the sound of her phone ringing halted her count.

"Hello?"

"_Tomoe-san!_"

"Oh, hello, Miki-chan!"

"_Hello! I'm glad I could reach you. I wanted to get in contact with you to ask for some advice._"

"Oh, yes? About what?"

"_Well, I wanted to know if I can come over for a bit._"

Half an hour later, after preparing more tea, Mami welcomed Sayaka to her home. "I hope you made it without trouble."

"It's no problem at all!" Sayaka took a seat by the low table. "Sorry to bother you a bit late, but I wanted to know if there were any pointers you can give me."

"About what?"

"Hunting down Witches, of course!" Sayaka looked so excited, leaning forward on the table.

Mami returned with a tray of sweets and drinks. "What would you like to know?"

Her questions ranged from how Mami can manipulate her magic to her advantage to how often she needed to keep her Soul Gem clean. Mami tried to answer them as well as she could.

"It's all a matter of will, really."

"Yeah, but sometimes I noticed I don't use as much magic as I think I do and then before I know it, there's a dot as big as a zit on my Gem."

"Sayaka, do you mind showing me your Gem?"

The blunette nodded, her Gem appearing in her hand. Mami studied it for a few seconds. "It looks bad, doesn't it?"

"Yes. You've been using quite a bit of magic." Mami's lips tugged down into a concerned frown. "Hold on." Mami took out a spare Grief Seed and quickly applied it to the Gem. "There you go. This one still has a bit of cleansing left to it."

"Thanks. I didn't think it was that bad, though..."

"You haven't claimed any Grief Seeds at all?"

"No. I've hunted one witch before but it didn't drop one... that's why I wanted to ask you about finding Witches. Is there a way to find one that does drop a Grief Seed?"

"I normally don't have any trouble locating one, though." Mami took a thoughtful sip of her tea. "Occasionally, I do run into the empty finds, but by the next one I have a Grief Seed."

"Do you think I'm doing something wrong?"

Mami shook her head and smiled. "No. I was going to step out in a little bit, but we might have to wrap up this tea session quick and go on a Witch Hunt, my friend."


	11. Chapter 11: Alliance & Circumstances

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

**Sorry for this chapter being a bit late than usual, but we luckily managed to update on the last day of the month for August so we're still keeping up with our promise! Also, we would like to thank a Guest reviewer who kindly pointed out our slight mistake on chapter 8. We'll fix that right away when we get the chance! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 11: Alliance &amp; Circumstances ~

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

The night was warm; Amai had attempted to go out with a sweater but was warned against it by Juudai.

"You'd think it would be cooler with it being fall..." Amai whined.

"Be quiet. Get over it."

Amai looked over at her best friend, watching as she put things into a bag. "What are you doing?"

"Packing up. What does it look like to you?"

"Where are you going?"

Juudai turned to look at her. "I'm going out with you."

Amai pointed at herself. "Wait, seriously?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because you didn't really show any interest in the Magical Girl biz."

"Well, I wanted to check out what you get into. I've only been in one hunt and it's not like I've actually done anything to help." Juudai gave her a look.

Amai looked away. "I don't know if that will be a good idea."

Juudai stopped moving from her end. "...Why not?"

At this, Amai was at a loss for what to say. Her heart quivered, struggling to come up with the words to explain her thoughts. "Because it's dangerous."

"It's dangerous." Oh, no. Juudai fully turned around, crossing her arms in front of her and giving her a hard glare. "That's your answer?"

Amai realized her mistake a moment too late – and her mind jumped to the last time she spoke with Mami. "No, wait-!"

Juudai held a hand up, silencing her. "I think me just knowing about all this entitles me to the right to accompany you."

"Yeah, but Kyoko -"

"Who's Kyoko?"

Amai slapped a hand to her mouth. "Well, she's this Magical Girl Nagisa and I ran into one night..."

"And when were either one of you planning on telling me about her?"

"...She doesn't stick around for long."

Juudai hummed. "And you don't want to introduce me to her?"

"It's not that."

"You don't want me involved." Juudai's eyes filled with understanding. She bit her bottom lip, looking anywhere in the room but at Amai.

"No! That's not it! I -!" The brunette's breathe left her in a rush when Juudai threw the bag she was preparing straight at her gut.

"...Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll be careful out there." Juudai hurried out of the room.

Amai watched her go. "Damn it." She didn't mean it. Out of everyone, she thought Juudai was the least interested in all of this Magical Girl business. She didn't mean to make it out like she wanted to exclude her.

'_Or replace her..._'

With a huff, Amai threw the bag onto her back and exited the room, heading downstairs to find Nagisa. The whitette sitting next to Xavier as he ate dinner, the two of them talking in hush tones.

"Hey, sweetie." Amai bent over to plant a kiss on the little girl's forehead. "Ready to go?

Nagisa shook her head. "Not yet."

Xavier turned his attention to Amai. "Have you spoken to Sis yet?" The wide-eyed look he received was response enough. "Oh, okay."

"Don't just say it like that!"

"You know I don't get between you and Sis when the two of you fight." Xavier took a sip of his soup after that.

"We didn't fight!"

"It might as well have been. Amai-neechan, I'm not dumb; I'm just a kid. I know you've been up to something lately, and it's been worrying Juudai."

Amai's look soften. "Is that so?"

Xavier nodded his head. "Yeah. So stop making Sis worry so much and make up already!"

"You betcha!" She ruffled his head a bit, causing him to scoot away from her. "Aw~! But you look so cute with your hair all ruffled!"

"Juudai can do that, but not you! You scratch my head way too hard!"

"No, I don't!"

"Amai-neechan! He's not going to finish at this rate!"

"Whoops! Sorry! I'll leave him alone!"

Amai sat across from them and waited. While Nagisa went back to the conversation the two of them previously had, Amai took the opportunity to look through the bag Juudai prepared.

'_Water, lotion, suntan lotion... a compass?_ _That's Juudy; always thinking about what COULD happen._' Amai smiled, turning the compass in her hand. The other items inside looked to be useful for other situations as well. Amai even found a bottle of pepper spray.

"Don't forget to do your homework!" Nagisa called out to Xavier.

"Juudai won't let me forget! Amai." The boy gave the brunette a hard look. "Are you going to say goodbye to Sis first?"

Amai shrugged. "I don't think she wants to see me right now. I'll make sure it's the first thing I do when I come back, though!"

Xavier didn't look happy with her response, but he accepted it, running towards the older girl and embracing her for a moment before hugging Nagisa. "Come back safely."

"We will!"

"You're worrying too much."

Xavier stuck his tongue out at Amai and closed the door behind them.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

At Mami's advice, Sayaka went to the high ground. It took a bit of work and courage on her part, but with Mami rooting for her by her side, the two of them managed to get jump to high ground – on top of a building.

"I sometimes do this whenever I know a Witch has been active lately," Mami explained at the top. "It helps me to focus, and often you can catch the slightest ripples of their magical signature in the air."

"Really?"

"Yes. When it comes down to it, a higher vantage point can help you set up for the hunt. Try to see if it helps you focus better."

"Okay." Sayaka took a deep breathe, taking a quick peek at the calm environment below and willed her magic forward. It did make it easier to concentrate, that much was true, but Sayaka realized she couldn't spread her magic out very far – only three buildings ahead of her. "I'm not getting anything."

"Yeah, I felt the reach of your magic... I'm certain with a little training, though, you can command it to reach further." Mami assured confidently.

"Ugh... I wish I could just do it now..."

"In the meantime, I can show you how to enchant objects."

"Wait, what?" Sayaka watched wide-eyed as Mami summoned an umbrella.

"You see it in movies all the time, but conditions have to be just right for someone to be carried off by the wind with an umbrella. However, if you give it some of your magic..." The umbrella glowed a bright yellow, golden insignia appearing on the surface. Mami reached for Sayaka's arm, pulling the girl to her. Her magic allowed the two of them to levitate in the air. Sayaka gasped, looking down and tightening her hold on Mami. The blonde laughed. "We're fine!"

The two of them floating over a set of buildings a few minutes later. "All right! I think this may be the point I've sensed earlier."

"H-How are we going to land?"

They made a slow descent downwards, Mami's feet first before she helped the blunette to her feet.

"Thank you..."

"No problem. Now..." Putting away the umbrella, Mami switched to her Magical Girl form in the blink of an eye. "Let's hunt a witch! Are you ready?"

Mami gave Sayaka a bright smile. The blunette stood for a moment before nodding her head with a smile of her own and changing as well. "Okay!"

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mitakihara Middle School (8th Grade Classroom) ~

The school bell rang, signaling the beginning of school. Sayaka kept turning her head to the right every few seconds, an aggravated expression on her face.

She heard her name being called; she turned her head towards Hitomi. "Are you looking for someone?"

Sayaka nodded her head. "Yeah, um..."

"Oh, that reminds me! Is it true?"

"What is?"

"Kyousuke! He's been discharged?"

Sayaka took a moment longer to answer the question, wondering why Hitomi wanted to know. "Yeah, yesterday."

"So do you think he'll be here today?"

Sayaka shrugged and turned to face the front. "Who knows?"

Miss Saotome called for everyone's attention. Sayaka faced forward, steeling herself for the lesson. Her mind, however, refused to stay calm.

'_Why does Hitomi care about Kyousuke?_' Inwardly, Sayaka felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably, an unknown emotion rising hot within her.

'_Sayaka, is something wrong?_' The blunette started, her eyes turning to where Madoka sat; the pinklette's eyes caught her gaze for a short moment before she went back to looking forward. '_You look upset. Is something the matter?_'

'_No... Just thinking._'

'_About Kyousuke?_'

'_...Yes._" Sayaka slumped forward on her desk, groaning before quickly sitting up. '_He isn't here yet._'

'_Maybe something came up. He has been in the hospital for a long time, so it's taking some time to get used to things again._'

'_Yeah, you're probably right. I'm over thinking things._' Sayaka forced a smile as she tried to focus on the lessons.

But it was easier said then done; her gaze kept straying to the side at the door. Maybe something did come up, though it hurt Sayaka that Kyousuke didn't call or leave a message to explain why...

She shook her head; now she was just sounding silly; Kyousuke didn't need to tell her where he was. But she did recall they did say to communicate with one another for any details.

'_I think I'm going to call him after school today._'

'_Okay._'

Before she could reply with a thank you, the door to the class room flew open. "He-llo~ everyone!" Sayaka cringed as she recognized the voice.

'_What are you doing here?!_' The blunette screamed in her thoughts.

Amai chuckled, but didn't voice her response out loud, instead walking up to Miss Saotome. "Hiya, Teach! You looking lovely as always!"

"Ah, Miss Asurito, I see you're faring well yourself! Did Mr. Noeuni send you?"

"Yes, here you go!" She passed the older woman a slip of paper. "By the way, Miss Saotome, how are things going for you and your boyfriend?"

The class settled into a chilling silence as they beheld their teacher. Saotome glared at the board before turning her gaze to the young girl. "Did you know that that good for nothing son of a gun broke up with me because I _couldn't fry his egg right_?!"

"Whoa, are you serious?"

"Mm-hmm! Tell me, Asurito, is the correct way to cook an egg is sunny side up or down?!"

"Sunny side up, of course." Amai answered flatly.

They held each other's gazes – Saotome looking very upset while Amai continued to hold a blank stare. The girl sighed. "What were the two of you eating?"

"A-a bowl of rice with miso soup!"

"And he wanted it sunny side up?"

"Apparently!"

"For his rice?"

"Yes!"

"Well, he obviously wanted to break the yolk so it'd pour over his rice. No wonder he broke up with you if you can't clearly tell that an egg needs to be cooked sunny side UP."

Some of the students in the class gasped.

Saotome looked appalled. "He wanted it fried, and I fried it!"

"Yeah, but if he wanted it sunny side up, that meant he didn't want it to be all the way cooked. He wanted the yolk to spill. If you fry it on both sides, it's too cooked and won't run! Geez, Teach, get it together!"

Saotome gave her a glare. "We'll continue this after school, Asurito."

"Gladly." With a smile, the brunette turned on her heel and started strutting out of the class. She winked at Sayaka as she walked by. The blunette rolled her eyes.

"Moron." She whispered.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Homura's Home ~

Homura heaved a sigh from her bed. Bedridden, she skipped out on school for the day in an attempt to rest up. Her illness was in the past but it still took some time for her physique to return to an acceptable state.

She rolled to her side, glancing out the window. Homura sighed, closing her eyes for a bit.

An uneasy feeling filled the air. She squirmed, struggling to get comfortable while ignoring the sensation. A futile move on her part; her eyes eased open slowly, purple eyes returning to the window.

Homura flinched as her gaze landed on a figure outside of her window. She gasped, sitting up and inching away, yelping when she nearly fell off her bed. Her heart racing inside her chest, Homura dared to look back out, awaiting with bating breathe for another set of eyes to meet hers.

No one was outside. She struggled to even find her breath, returning to the center of the bed. Her eyes skimmed over to her belongings scattered across the room: pictures lined up on a shelf, one featuring her as Homura as she was released from the hospital and the second a picture of her, Amai and Juudai; a set of ribbons she used to tie her pigtail ends; and books upon books stacked up on one another on the floor.

As her breathing began to slow down, though, another shadow appeared at the window, this time a smaller one with a long tail and long ears. "Kyubey...?"

"_Are you all right? You sound out of breathe._"

"I... don't worry about it." She wasn't exactly in the mood to tell the rabbit-like creature of her concerns, especially if it turned out to be nothing. "What are you doing here?"

"_I came to check on you. Out of the girls presently in town, you have communicated with us the least with your wish. You appear to be interested in the notion of becoming a Magical Girl..._"

"I'm sorry! I truly do want to become a Magical Girl! I just... don't know what my wish will be..."

"_We understand. We cannot force you to make a decision. We were just curious if you changed your mind about it._."

"N-no, I still would very much like to be a Magical Girl, if you will still let me once I figure out my wish."

"_Of course. Take your time._" Homura thought he would go and leave her alone, but he remained on the window sill. "_Is it all right if I ask you a question?_"

Homura wordlessly nodded her head.

"_May we see your hair outside of its restraints?_"

She looked at him with questions in her eyes, but he didn't elaborate. With a slight shrug, Homura took one long pigtail in her hands and unraveled the ribbon holding it together. She repeat the action on the other tail, shaking her head to loosen the strands of hair. She looked at Kyubey expectedly afterwards.

The critter hummed lowly before shaking his head. "_We see. Perhaps this might not sound like an observation, but we believe you look mature with hair down, Homura Akemi._"

Homura blushed. "You don't mean that..."

"_Perhaps you'd feel differently if someone else told you those words._"

"W-what?!"

"_We must be going now. There is something we would like to look into before approaching one of the other Magical Girls. We bid you a good day, Homura Akemi_." And with that, Kyubey jumped out of sight.

Homura's gaze remained on the window for a while longer. Just... what did he mean by that?

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Middle School Hallway/Downtown Café ~

Madoka looked into her homeroom class as she and Sayaka walked past it on the way out of school. "Do you think Asurito-chan will be all right?"

"What do you mean?" Sayaka deadpanned. Madoka pointed towards the classroom where Amai and Miss Saotome appeared to be in a fierce discussion. The pinklette was actually surprised they weren't throwing things at one another. "Oh, that... I think Miss Saotome is going to put her in her place. I mean, seriously, where does she think she's coming from talking about relationships like that?"

"They were mostly talking about eggs, though..."

"That guy is still scum for dissing Miss Saotome over EGGS."

"Well, yeah..."

"Anyway, I'm going to make a stop somewhere else today. Will you be fine on your own?"

Madoka nodded her head. "All right then. Be careful!"

Sayaka answered that she would be running off in the opposite direction. She smiled after her before turning to head home herself.

"Are you going off without me, Madoka?"

The pinklette jumped and swerved to look at Mami, the blonde smiling radiantly at her friend. "How are you doing, Mami?"

"Not bad. May I walk with you?"

"Sure."

Madoka asked Mami if she wanted to stop by someplace to eat before heading home, to which the blonde eagerly accepted.

Once they arrived at the café and took their order, the two of them took their seat. "How was your day, Madoka?"

"It was pretty great! Uh, at least..." Madoka trailed off, staring down at her snack.

"Did something happen?"

"It's just... today, I saw Asurito-chan."

A shadow immediately cast over Mami's face.

"I was wondering if you've spoken with her yet."

After the silence stretched on for a moment, Mami said. "No, I haven't. I... don't know what to say."

Madoka looked at her friend with sympathy. Having only befriended Amai for a short time, Madoka couldn't be sure how she felt over all this, but Madoka knew Mami missed her terribly and it pained her to see two friends hurting like this. "You should at least try. I'm sure Asurito-chan would appreciate it."

"It's... not that easy." Mami appeared so frustrated, tightening her hold on the drink. "Amai has always been stubborn! And reckless. It's one of the reasons I chose to keep what I do a secret, to stay away from her instead of letting her and her family know I was fine. She would have gotten herself involved in all this despite my wishes. I didn't want that...!"

The blonde looked close to tears, hunching into herself. Madoka, at a loss of what to do, reached across the table to place a hand on her shoulder as she shuddered.

"It was the last thing I wanted... That's why I kept it from her. And what pains me is that she doesn't understand where I'm coming from. Does she think I did this to hurt her? Because I don't trust her or something?"

"I don't think it's just that." Madoka replied. When Mami looked at her with tears in her eyes, the pinklette elaborated. "I think she must have felt that you weren't giving her your consent."

"But why would she need my permission?"

"Because Kyubey presented her with an opportunity to ask for anything she'd like, and then you were not only discouraging her, but when she made the decision to save her mother and brother with her wish, she felt like you were... attacking her." Madoka ended for lack of better words.

Mami took in a shallow breathe. "She thinks... I was condemning her family?! How could she think that?! After what happened to mine?!"

"I'm not sure... I suppose she started thinking that, and that's one of the main reasons she's hurt."

"That's... not true! I didn't mean for it to be like that!" Mami cried.

"You need to speak with her as soon as you can, Mami!" Madoka insisted. "Maybe she won't want to listen, but you have to make her listen to you, and you need to listen to her too, all right?"

Mami wordlessly nodded her head, passing her hands over eyes. "I... I need to. I can't leave it like this. I need her to know where I'm coming from."

Madoka nodded her head. "Have you tried calling her before?"

"I couldn't go through with it. But I will soon."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up like this."

"No, it's fine. I needed to make a move." Mami sniffed and smiled. "What kind of a mentor am I when I can't even talk out a simple dispute?"

Returning the smile, Madoka shook her head. "It can be a little scary talking to people, so I understand! But if she truly cares about you, she'll listen."

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown ~

"All right, listen up!" Kyoko turned around to address the two girls following her. "We'll keep this nice and simple." The redhead rammed the bottom of her staff unto the floor, sending out a wave of her magic. "You feel that? That's the magic signature of a Witch. The goal of this training session? You're going to locate and take the witch down! Understood?"

Nagisa raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Are you coming with us?"

Kyoko barked a laugh. "Why should I? Y'all are the ones who need this training! Sniff out the witch and when you find her, kill her! It's that simple! Besides, it'll be great practice to see if the two of you work well together."

Nagisa and Amai shared a look and nodded before scattering.

The redhead heaved a sigh after they left. "Now to figure out what was that other signature I felt..."

* * *

~ Witch's Labyrinth ~

A slash here, another there – Sayaka swept through the collection of minions as she made her way to the Witch's room. She was determined to take care of this without Mami's assistance.

She landed on the ground, turning around to see if Madoka was still behind her. "So Mami is going to try talking to that pervert?"

"Pervert? Oh, Asurito-chan, yes!" Madoka paused. "She's not a pervert." She added.

"And yet, you knew who I was talking about!" Sayaka turned with a grin, catching the red on Madoka's face.

"That's not very nice, Sayaka!"

"It's the truth, though!" Once that batch of minions were taken care of, Sayaka reached for Madoka's hand and lead the way further into the labyrinth. She learned the hard way earlier that she needed to come up with a way to defend Madoka; Sayaka had turned away from her friend for one minute, and in the next, a Minion managed to sneak its way past the Magical Girl in an attempt to reach her friend.

"_It's not your fault, Sayaka. It takes time for Magical Girls to become accustomed to their abilities._"

Sayaka turned her head to look at her second companion; Kyubey had invited himself to the hunt when he encountered them on the way to the witch. He most likely would know a thing or two about Witch Hunts considering he grants girls the ability to kill them, after all. At the thought, she voiced her concern. "I just wish I could figure things out faster. Why can't I make a barrier like Mami?"

"_It's Mami's specialty. Her powers tends to lend on the defensive, so it naturally comes to her._"

"Since you say naturally, that means she's that good at it, huh?"

"_Precisely. But in theory other Magical Girls can call upon on that magic when needed. It all boils down to your need for it_."

Sayaka's face became downcast. "I guess I'm not that focused on caring for Madoka..."

"Don't blame yourself!" Madoka immediately cut through her words. "It's not your fault; you're new to all this and you're focused on taking down the Witch! Take care of the Witch first, and then everyone will be safe, Sayaka!"

The discussion would not end there, but Sayaka at least conceded that the Witch needed to go. "Right!"

Once they entered the Witch's room, Sayaka quickly locked on to her target, finding it hanging over their heads. It may have been hoping to stay out of her reach, but no such luck. With a cry, Sayaka launched one of her blades to the Witch, succeeding in catching it off guard and cutting a limb. It lost its grip on the wall and fell towards them.

With a smirk, Sayaka prepared another blade, pushing it forward into the Witch's body before swinging it down and cutting through it. In a puff of magic, the Witch's form dissipated. Waiting a moment, Sayaka scanned the area to see if the Witch dropped it's treasure.

"See anything, guys?"

"No, I don't..."

"How come it didn't drop anything?"

"Because that thing was a minion, you moron."

The two girls flinched at the unexpected voice, turning to its source as the labyrinth slowly faded away. A girl dressed in red drew near.

Kyubey's ear twitched in recognition. "_We see you are doing well, Kyoko Sakura_."

Sayaka looked at the critter. "Who is she?"

"_She's another Magical Girl, like you_."

Kyoko smirked. "You didn't even bother telling the fresh meat about me, Kyubey? I'm hurt; especially once I swoop in and take the turf away from her."

Sayaka arched a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that this place is a nest of Witches. Makes harvesting for Grief Seeds easy and all. By the way, you completely wasted your time going after that one."

The hairs on Sayaka's neck stood up. She did not like the way this new girl was talking. "No, I didn't. I stopped it before it could hurt anyone."

Kyoko snorted. "Before it could hurt anyone? Are you even listening to yourself? That's not a complete Witch, girl. You saw that it didn't let go of a Grief Seed, right? That's because it hadn't had time to develop yet."

Madoka spoke up. "Develop?"

"That's right. Let it prey on others for a bit, and it'll form its own Grief Seed. You feel me?"

Each second this girl spoke was fueling the fire inside of Sayaka. "How dare you...?"

"Huh?"

Sayaka was seething. "You're telling me to just stand by and let the Witches eat people?!"

Kyoko gave her a hard look. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Your Soul Gem will gradually taint when you use your magic. If you go after every single Witch you come across, you're just wasting valuable magic that could be used on a Witch that leaves you an actual prize."

"Because of course you'd assume I'm doing this for myself." Sayaka's hands clenched into fists at her side.

"You gotta, otherwise who's going to?" Kyoko countered. "Don't look all high and mighty, Girl. Other Magical Girls do the same thing, too."

"_She's right. It's not unreasonable. You have to keep track of your magical resources, otherwise you'll end up burning yourself up_."

It still made Sayaka's stomach turn in repulsion.

"That's not right." Sayaka felt her heart swell hearing Madoka say those words. "You were granted such an incredible gift; how can you turn away from others in need?"

Kyoko shrugged. "They're not my problem."

"Like hell they aren't!" Sayaka exploded. "They can't do anything to the Witches, but we can! How could you?"

"Because I can. Look I didn't come to be lectured." The redhead turned her back to them, jumping toward a high ledge. "I'm out of here. Hey, Kyubey, we should meet up for snacks some time, okay?" With those final words, Kyoko disappeared.

* * *

~ Witch's Labyrinth (Other side of Town) ~

Once the labyrinth disappeared, Nagisa and Amai let out the breath they were holding. Amai looked down at her companion proudly. "Well, that was easy!"

The whitette turned to look behind her with a thoughtful expression.

"Something wrong?"

Nagisa shook her head. "Just a feeling. I thought I sensed something back there."

"You're better at feeling Witches than me. Do you think it was something?"

It took a moment for Nagisa to respond. "Yeah, I think there was a Witch in that direction, but it disappeared not long before we took care of this one. Maybe Kyoko got rid of it. We did lose track of her after we headed this way."

'_Or maybe Mami took care of it..._' But Amai kept that thought to herself. She didn't want to think about any of that.

Something sparkled on the ground in front of them. Nagisa skipped over to it, picking it up in her hands. "Hey, look it dropped a Grief Seed!"

Amai nodded. "Do you need to clean yours?"

Nagisa shook her head. "No, I'm still good. What about you?" Amai responded with the same.

The next moment, Kyoko appeared next to them. "Well done, girls! We can call it quits tonight. I don't really feel anything else at the moment."

Amai stifled a yawn. "Yeah, I got school tomorrow and this one needs her rest." She pointed her thumb at Nagisa.

"I do not!" The little girl yawned afterwards.

"Told you." Nagisa pouted in face of Amai's smirk.

"We'll meet up again and continue this later. Night, y'all!" Kyoko walked away from the scene and into the early night. She wondered if any of the arcades would be open tonight; she was in the mood to play.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Arcade ~

Kyoko smirked, musing as to why she was in such a good mood. It didn't often happen; some days, her mood was in a passing state, one that allowed her to carry on with her life, and other days she would just need to find a Witch to take her aggression on. But today, it was a good day and she couldn't exactly explain why.

Her feet carried her to the nearest arcade, and to her pleasant surprise it was still open. Now in her civilian form, she paid for her entrance fee and made her way to the dancing games. They were always her favorite. Even though most of them didn't offer a prize for winning or participation, she still ruled on the dance panels.

She picked out her favorite song, and at the game's signal began to move. Kyoko remained focused on the game – it was on intense difficulty, after all – but her senses picked up on something as it – they – entered the building. She kept her eyes on the screen even when the person stopped next to her. "You got something you want to say to me?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the person nod. "Kyoko Sakura, I request to be part of your alliance, as well."

The redhead snorted. "I figured we were already in an alliance, considering you approached me first and all."

"I was not sure if you were keen with the idea, but now that I see the way you interact with Amai-chan and Momoe-chan, I'm confident about it."

Kyoko inclined her head to the side to look at the long-haired raven girl. Her purple eyes were set on the floor, one of her hands fidgeting with the strands of her hair.

"Funny, I don't recall you being so familiar with Asurito."

The raven girl flinched, eyes widen like saucers. "I... don't, either."

The redhead merely shrugged. "Well, the more the merrier, I say. Especially if this Witch is as powerful as you say. Are we going to enlist Mami and the other girl, too?"

"It would be preferable." The other girl nodded her head.

Kyoko scowled. "I haven't even ran into Mami yet. As for the other girl, I'm not so sure about her. Her head's too far into the clouds."

"If you're talking about Sayaka Miki, I believe you are correct. She will need someone to guide her, watch over her."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Talking about something like you know a lot about it." Kyoko's gaze was back on the screen, but her eyes narrowed in thought. "Is there something I need to know about Miki?"

The raven girl took a moment to answer. "She is willful, and your actions will only further agitate her. Therefore, I suggest you leave her to her own devices and let me look after her. You already have your hands full with Am... Asurito-chan and Momoe-chan."

Kyoko shrugged. "I can't really do much about it if you come my way. Besides, she's a rookie, and if I have to put her in her place so be it." She finished with a grin, spinning in place and striking a pose as the song ended. She walked off the platform and stood next to the girl, eyeing her up and down. "So, are you ever going to tell me your name?"

The girl shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Things are... difficult at the moment. You'll most likely learn it in time."

"I don't make a habit of this, you know. Talking to someone who's clearly suspicious. And yet... I know you're not lying about Walpurgis Nacht. I'll continue training those girls. In the meantime, you better start practicing on better introductions!" Kyoko flashed her a grin before heading for another game.

The girl stood there even after Kyoko left. With a sigh, she let her head fall back, eyes on the ceiling.

Things were still the same, yet... something started to change. A frown pulled at the girl's lips. Something's been off, and she's felt it ever since...

She shook her head, a sudden feeling of exhaustion hovering over her. Thinking about it made her head in the long run, a bit surprising since thinking seemed to be all she could do recently. She couldn't make heads or tails of the changes, couldn't predict if it was for the best... or worst.

And to make matters worse for her, her mind recently seemed to be in turmoil – more so than usual. These new problems added along to the rest of her concerns made for a headache and very confusing behavior. She still puzzled over to the words she had said to Kyoko before.

'_Amai-chan_..."

She does not know the girl, nor did she ever meet her – until know.

'_What is happening to me... and the world_?'

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Mami's Apartment ~

Mami heaved a sigh, leaning onto her coffee table. Today had been a simple enough day, her homework done as soon as she arrived home and treats baked as she did her chores. A cup of tea remained steaming next to her, but Mami wasn't really in the mood to quench her thirst.

She rested her head on her arms, aimlessly looking forward. '_Amai... I wonder what you're doing right now..._' Her phone rested next to her on the table, untouched. No messages waited for her; she'd already check numerous of times earlier. '_It looks like I have to make the first move, after all..._' She chuckled humorlessly, closing her eyes.

Words were lost to her; as of now, Mami still couldn't find the proper words. She suppose a simple apology would do, but she felt like she owed Amai more. A lot more...

'_I miss her_.' That thought wasn't new. Mami missed many aspects of her former life, before all of THIS. A time when she didn't have to fight Witches, when she lived happily with her parents... and another girl who loved her very much.

'_I really miss her..._' A few tears pricked the corner of her eyes. Mami needed to make this right; for the both of them.

She drifted; before she knew it, sleep had taken over her and her dreams were evaded with ifs and maybes. Her parents' faces emerged, their smiles like sunshine to her. She walked through a familiar park, turning behind her and seeing a brunette girl chasing her with the biggest and happiest smile on her face. A laugh blossomed in her chest, and she let it out as she ran away from the other girl.

A hand reached out to her, and the girl was right next to her. Both of them giggled. The other girl opened her mouth, and-

A shrilling sound brought her out of her sleep. Mami's hand reached for her phone, irritably hitting the call button.

"Hello?"

"Mami?" Madoka's worried tone came from the receiver. "We have a problem."


	12. Chapter 12: Confrontation & Apology

**A/N: Hey guys! I want to thank everyone who favorite, reviewed, or is currently following this story! The reviews and support we get from you guys are awesome! I know that it's been a while since we've last updated, but we made it worthwhile and made this chapter longer for you guys. We won't make any promises, but we're going to try our best to update this story monthly. As always, please R&amp;R and enjoy the chapter!**

**Sorry for this chapter being a bit late than usual! Also, we would like to thank a Guest reviewer who kindly pointed out our slight mistake on chapter 8. The slight mistake has been fixed! :D**

* * *

~ Chapter 12: Confrontation &amp; Apology ~

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Alleyway ~

Madoka backed away at Sayaka's insistence when the Magical Girl appeared. Fearful pink eyes took up the redhead girl walking up towards them.

"So you're the hotshot new apprentice of Mami, huh?"

Sayaka's shouldered hunched up. "What did you just say?"

The redhead took up a vicious grin. "I'm saying you don't look like much."

"No! What is this about Mami?!"

"She didn't tell you?" The other girl scoffed. "Of course. She must be really ashamed of me."

Madoka pulled out her phone and started up a call for Mami. Whoever this girl was, she was definitely bad news. She showed up out of nowhere, interrupting Sayaka's Witch Hunt and throwing threats.

"Don't you dare claim you know Mami!"

"Oh, I dare. And I dare say you're a real chump going after prey with no rewards."

"_Hello?_"

Mami's voice broke through the tension. "Mami-san! We have a problem!" Madoka grew more worried as she saw the tenseness on Sayaka's form. "There's someone here that looks like a Magical Girl!"

"_A Magical Girl?_"

"Yes, with red hair."

A silence emanated from the other end. "_...I'm on my way._" And the phone call ended like that. Madoka wasn't given much time to ponder on the strangeness.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!" Sayaka demanded.

"I mean you should leave the small fry alone. The way they are now they're useless. Leave them alone long enough and they'll become Witches on their own."

Something snapped in the air – Madoka could hear it, FEEL it.

"And let innocent people become casualties?" Sayaka's voice was low, deadly.

The redhead shrugged. "If that's what needs to happen, so be it."

Madoka yelped as the wind sharply picked up; Sayaka propelled forward with the help of her magic, sword out and launching herself towards the redhead. A flash of red, and the other magical girl summoned a spear out to block the blunette's weapon. She pushed forward, throwing Sayaka away from her. The blunette barely managed to right herself.

"Are you all right?" Madoka reached out towards her.

"I'm fine!" Sayaka threw her arm out, keeping the pinklette behind her. Blue eyes remained on the target in front of them. "Stay behind me! I don't want you getting hurt!" Sayaka prepared for another attack.

Nagisa's head snapped back in surprise, eyes wide at the burst of magic she felt.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Amai turned her head to the little girl.

It took a moment for her to answer. "...There's some people over there. Kyoko's over there, too."

Amai's brow arched. "Why would she be over there? I thought she went that way." Amai pointed towards the west.

Nagisa's eyes widen. "Wait a minute... Sayaka and Madoka are over there!"

"The pink haired girl and... wait, Flat Dough?" Amai asked incredulously.

Without responding, Nagisa started to move in that direction. "Wait! Don't leave me here!" Amai called out before falling into step.

Amai tried her best to feel out what Nagisa was sensing. Even after a few days her magic didn't feel any different from how it felt before. She struggled to feel for an energy signature at the end of the road. Something did linger in the direction Nagisa pointed towards earlier. She tried to put a name to those energies; they did feel familiar somewhat...

Her head snapped to the right when another magical signature appeared on her fuzzy radar. This one DEFINITELY felt familiar, and it didn't take long for her to put a name on it.

'_Mami._' She felt the blonde heading their way – no, to where the disturbance lingered.

Now that she drew closer, Amai started feeling the tingling sensation that was Kyoko's presence. The two other presences started to build up in pressure, and she discovered that one of them was another Magical Girl, and a hostile one at that.

'_That does feel like Flatbread..._' Aside from the pang of irritation that went through her, Amai found she was also curious to see how the bluette looked in her Magical Girl form. Considering Mami was going out of her way to train her, Amai wanted to see for herself just how much Sayaka measured up right now.

Amai landed not far from the location, taking her first few steps towards them. "Hey, Nagisa, things might get a little rough so be sure to stay behind me, okay?"

No answer. Amai turned around. "Nagisa?"

The whitette wasn't there.

Amai's heart pounded against her chest as she looked around for the younger girl, calling her name. In her frantic search, she wound up catching the attention of Kyoko and Sayaka, breaking away their glare contest.

"You!"

"Oh, hey!" Sayaka stared wide-eyed as the redhead casually leaned against her weapon. "Decided to come join me in handling this problem?"

Amai blinked. "What problem?"

Kyoko jabbed her thumb towards the blunette. "This girl's being difficult and all. I think between the two of us, we can teach her a lesson!"

Amai didn't know what to say. Sayaka's look slowly turned into a hard glare.

"You're... with her?"

In response, Sayaka growled, pointing an accusing finger at Amai. "You're allowing innocent people to get hurt because you want the stupid Grief Seed!"

Nothing could prepare Amai for the feeling of heart dropping in her chest. Sayaka's words left her without breathe and widen eyes. She switched her gaze between the blunette and Kyoko.

The redhead shrugged. "I'm just stating facts; we need Grief Seeds to keep our magic going, and Minions don't give us any. We might as well give it time to make one so we can swoop in and take our reward, right?"

A heaviness descended on Amai. "And what exactly does a Minion do in order to make a Grief Seed?"

Across from her, Sayaka took on a look – one torn between disbelief and outrage. "Are you serious? You have to be lying."

"I don't get it; what does a Minion do?" Amai yelled, her eyes widening further. If this girl continued to avoid the subject, she didn't know what she'd do. "Kyoko, what is she talking about?"

Kyoko looked over her shoulder. "A Minion must continue preying on humans in order to form its own Grief Seed."

Amai's heart stopped.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Amai's Residence/Family Restaurant ~

Juudai looked out over the balcony, chin in her hand. A part of her insisted she returned downstairs and ask Mrs. Asurito if she needed any help with anything, but for once she wanted to be selfish and just keep to herself.

She made sure she left Xavier doing his homework in his room before she made her way to the upstairs balcony. Opening one of the table parasols, she pulled out a chair and took a seat. With a sigh, she continued gazing listlessly.

It took her a moment to learn someone had joined her; the scrapping of a chair's leg snapped her out of her trance. Juudai's eyes shifted to the right to see the long-haired raven sit next to her.

"How are you doing today?" The girl's voice was neutral but her eyes, settled on Juudai, conveyed her concern.

"Could be better, I suppose, but I could be worse, too."

The girl nodded her head. "That's good." The two remained silent for a while, watching the scenery. "If I may be so bold..." She started after a while. At Juudai's noise of affirmation, she continued. "As of right now, your friend is confronting Sayaka Miki."

Juudai sat up straighter. She recalled the last time Mami and Amai were together. "Are... they fighting?"

"Possibly."

"Then why are you telling me this instead of stopping them?" Juudai rose from her seat, anger on her figure.

"Because I know they will not listen to me. One of the Magical Girls present near them might, but considering Sayaka Miki's volatile nature, she might not. Amai Asurito is not familiar with me, therefore I feel you should head over there."

Juudai thought about it for a moment, before asking the first question she had in mind. "What about Nagisa Momoe?"

"She was close to your friend when I last saw her."

"And Mami Tomoe?"

The girl stayed quiet for a bit. "She's heading their way. I'm assuming she felt the disturbance, or..." Her purple eyes widen. "Kaname-san."

Juudai looked at her strangely. "Madoka?"

"Yes. She must have contacted her."

"That would make sense..." After taking a moment to process everything, she turned towards the door. "Will me being there actually make a difference?"

"I'm not sure. I suppose what I should be saying is if you wish to be there with your friend?"

Juudai didn't need to think about it twice. "I do. I want to be there to help Amai whenever she needs it. I don't know what I can do for her now, but I'll do what I can."

The girl rose to her feet; Juudai looked over her shoulder to her. "Good." She stepped towards the orangette, one hand going to the back of her knees while the other rested on her shoulder. Juudai's eyes widen when the girl took off into the air afterwards. She resisted the urge to scream, a dropping sensation in her belly as they descended to the ground quickly. Her arms wrapped around the girl's neck, face hidden in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

"It's all right." The raven-haired girl muttered gently.

Their momentum stopped, as if the girl landed on something before they took off into the air again. Juudai pulled her face away, looking at the sky in wonder as they continued to soar across it. When the fell again, Juudai looked down – a mistake that caused her body to seize up with fear. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to look away as they quickly approached the city below.

They quickly approached a building; instead of splatting against its surface, a soft purple glow surrounded the girl as she landed delicately on the roof. The next moment, she took off into the air again. Juudai's mouth gaped open.

A slight smirk passed over the girl's face, one Juudai caught a second before it fell.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Downtown Alleyway ~

The scene Mami arrived to was one she was not expecting.

Considering Madoka had called her, alerting her of a problem, Mami tried to prepare for the worst. Donning her Magical Girl uniform, she rushed from her apartment to the alleyway she felt Sayaka's signature.

What she wasn't expecting was the feel of another.

Madoka, yes; she was the one who called her after all.

Amai; her heart at dropped at that. Whether she was ready or not, Mami would be facing her childhood friend after all this time.

Nagisa; from what Mami could gather, the whitette had taken to Witch Hunts along with Amai.

The last magic signature, however...

'_Impossible... After all this time, _she _comes back..._' A whole slew of emotions went through Mami; longing, anger, concern, disappointment. She put a bit more magic into her dash as she rushed to her destination.

She arrived, skidding against the concrete as she rushed to Madoka's side. Barely remembering to call out a greeting to the pinklette, her gold eyes went in search for the one person she thought she never see again. Red eyes met hers.

Mami gasped. "Kyoko..." She whispered.

Sayaka looked over her shoulder, eyes wide and mouth agape. But Amai was the one who said the words she desperately wanted to say. "You two... know each other?!"

Kyoko scowled before the expression quickly shifted to a grin. "Long time no see, Mami! I see you're still alive and kicking. I would have thought you'd be Witch food by this point, considering you've been watching the town by yourself for so long."

Mami walked up towards Sayaka, placing a calming hand on her shoulder when the blonde noticed the look of rage pass over her features. Her eyes turned to focus on Kyoko. "And I see you are doing well yourself." Gold flickered in the direction of a certain brunette, the person in question hanging behind the redhead. "It's funny; I recall you saying you weren't going to team up with other Magical Girls anymore."

"This isn't a team up; I'm just teaching her the ropes on how to be a kick ass Magical Girl!" Kyoko grinned in response.

The frown appeared on Mami's face before she could stop it. "Is that so?" Although her expression wasn't focused on her, Mami noticed how Amai took a retreating step back.

"Yeah! Since you apparently weren't up for the job, someone's gotta make sure she's up for it! Knowing you, you probably were teaching her some useless stuff, anyway."

"Define 'useless'." Mami growled.

"Like helping others when they need it." Kyoko burst out laughing at the notion. "Why would she do that without getting something in exchange?"

From behind the redhead, Amai began to stutter. Mami watched as she lifted a hand in her direction. "I-I-I wouldn't do that..." When Mami tilted her head in confusion, Amai clarified with a step forward. "I wouldn't turn my back to someone in need!"

Kyoko looked over her shoulder. "Aw, come on. Think about it. If you go spending your magic on every single person you see, you'll end up drained. You can't say I'm wrong."

"But you aren't right!" Amai screamed. "I can't just turn my back on civilians for my own benefit! It goes against the reason I became a Magical Girl!"

Mami felt her heart soar.

Kyoko turned around fully, her face grim. "And what do people ever do for ya, huh? What about your wish? What did you wish for?"

Amai froze. "Well-"

"You don't need to answer her, Amai." Mami spoke up. When the brunette looked at her, Mami gave her a soft smile. "That's your business and yours alone. Fighting for Mitakihara – that is a wonderful purpose."

Amai smiled.

Kyoko sighed. "Well, whatever. It doesn't change the fact that this girl over here is a dumbass going after nothing but prey who don't relinquish anything. You need to be at the top of your game, and she's anything but that."

Mami noticed too late when Sayaka moved again – the blunette was surprisingly agile. Kyoko, however, wasn't new to the attack and blocked it easily.

"That's all you got?" Kyoko grinned.

"Not even close!" Sayaka snapped. She jumped back, putting some distance between them before preparing for the next strike. Before she could do anything, however, a streak of green swept past Kyoko towards the blunette.

"Stop!" Amai yelled, holding her arms out.

"Asurito! Get the hell out of my way before I cut you down!" Sayaka held her sword to reinforce her threat.

"Can't we just stop this?" Amai pleaded. "There's no need to fight! We're all Magical Girls, fighting for the same cause! Even if our reasons for becoming one is different, we... should stick together!"

Sayaka's glare chilled, and instead of lowering her weapon, she aimed a thrust towards Amai's side. The brunette barely managed to dodge by jumping back. "Sayaka!"

"Shut up!" A circle of swords floated behind her. "I'm going to cut her, and if you don't move out of the way, you will, too!"

Amai's face set into a hard glare, staring down at the attack. Her weapons appeared in a blaze at the ends of her hands, and she set them in front of her. Mami looked on in horror as Sayaka swung her arm down, the blades rushing towards the brunette.

Before she could even see the result of the attack, the hairs of her neck began to stand in warning, and she managed to jump to avoid a spear-ended whip from binding her. She landed in a crouch from the spot the weapon emerged. "Kyoko!"

The redhead landed not too far from her with a wild grin. "What? If Amai and the newbie are going to fight, we might as well do the same! Let's see how far we've progressed in the past year!"

Mami narrowed her eyes with a growl.

**Amai vs. Sayaka**

At the incoming blades, Amai lifted the chakrams up as a shield. She released them into the air, the circles spinning in place and redirecting the blades away from Amai.

Sayaka growled at her failure, mind shifting through another possible move.

Amai didn't give her time to recover, though. The brunette grabbed her weapons, twirling in place before she threw them at the blunette. Sayaka managed to parry one of the discs before sidestepping the other. When she turned to glare at her opponent, however, her eyes widen in shock at the smug look on Amai's face.

Sayaka cried out when she felt metal dig into the skin of her left arm. With a hiss, she turned around in time to ward off the second disc before it made contact with her.

"What, you thought I was just going to lose them after throwing them?" Amai mocked once her weapons returned to her side.

The frown on Sayaka's face delivered her displeasure well enough. "Shut up! I'm not going down that easily!"

It was Amai's turn to frown. "You know we don't have to fight, right? I'm only going up against you because you attacked me first. But we can just put our weapons down and pretend this didn't happen."

"Well, I won't do that. I can't just pretend you just tell me to ignore people for a GRIEF SEED!"

"I wasn't the one who said that! I didn't even know about any of that!"

"You're still guilty! How can you turn away from people who need help like that?!"

"I didn't!" Amai looked at her in disbelief. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that because Kyoko did what she did that I'm responsible too?"

Sayaka's glare was harsh as she hissed. "_Yes._"

Amai met the look with one of hers. "Damn. Talk about judgmental."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're a pretty shallow person if you're looking down at me without even knowing me."

With a quick intake of breathe, Sayaka ended the conversation with a dash forward. Amai didn't have time to do anything else but block the attack, pushing back and keeping the blade as far from her as she could. Amai lifted her foot and made to step forward but in reality she swept her leg forward and caught Sayaka's legs.

Sayaka fell back with a shriek, but she thrust her sword forward, swiping at the air in order to keep Amai away. The brunette took a step back, giving the blunette enough space to roll away. Back on her feet, Sayaka pushed forward, sword tip in Amai's direction.

A moment passed, and in that time Amai held one chakram out, hooking Sayaka's sword into one of the loops. With a twist of her hand, she wretched the blade from Sayaka's grip. The blunette was left wide-eyed as Amai brought her elbow down on the back of Sayaka's neck, the girl going down with a yelp.

"Sayaka!" As the blunette struggled to her feet, she heard Madoka call her name. '_Damn, she's still here..._' And from the sounds of it, she was watching everything unfolding in horror. Sayaka knew her best friend of all people wanted them to get along, but Sayaka could not bring herself to believe that the pervert and the redhead could have good intentions – not after everything they've done.

'_But what have the pervert done? Aside from an unsavory behavior, had she really done anything _bad_? The other girl was one thing; she had specifically stated to let innocent people burn, but Amai..._'

The blunette lifted her head, glancing at Madoka's direction, checking to see if the pinklette held any injuries. Seeing none, Sayaka stood tall and turned towards Amai. The brunette glanced at her uncertainly, the entire time standing away from her.

'_She didn't attack me..._' Sayaka summoned another blade.

Amai sighed. "We're seriously going to continue this?"

**Mami vs. Kyoko**

Two muskets emerged at Mami's will, the blonde taking hold of them and pointing one in Kyoko's direction. The redhead tilted her head, bemused. "I'm willing to bet you can't pull the trigger."

Mami's eyes narrowed. "You're not really much of a betting person, then."

A boom pierced the air; Kyoko managed to move out of the way from the shot in time. She huffed. "Yeah, I would be broke at this rate."

"And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

Kyoko's equipped a smirk. "And how about yourself? How much would you bet on hitting me?"

Instead of answering, Mami summoned a total of eight muskets, pulling the trigger and shooting them all at once towards the redhead. It didn't come to much of a surprise when the redhead appeared a few feet away the next second.

"You need to work on your aim." Kyoko mocked.

"My aim isn't the problem; my target won't sit still." Mami coolly retorted.

"Funny, I don't think that's how that works."

"How would you know if you haven't tried it?"

Kyoko twirled her spear around in place before tightening her grip; the first portion of her spear detached and extended towards Mami. The blonde brought one of her empty muskets forward, using the gun to block the blade end of the incoming weapon before pushing it away from her.

"Something like that, you mean?" Kyoko commented.

"Exactly."

"I think bullets are harder to block than a blade."

"How would you know if you haven't tried it?" Mami repeated. "I'm willing to bet you can't block it."

Once her face distorted into a glare, Kyoko snapped, "Well, I'm willing to bet I can!"

From there, both girls stood their ground as they readied their weapons. Mami's arsenal appeared around her and she grabbed a rifle, one after the other, as she aimed each shot towards her opponent.

Kyoko's spear elongated; parts of the spear's staff blocked some projectiles while the rest were cut down by purposeful strikes. The two of them remained locked in a standstill before, at last, one bullet swept past the redhead's defense and cut her on the cheek.

The wound was the stoplight for the standoff, both girls meeting the other's gaze.

Mami smirk. "Looks like I did manage to hit you."

Kyoko managed a smile before it dropped into a grimace, her wound throbbing. "Yeah, but the bet was on whether I can block it or not."

"I will concede; you managed it."

"If we're still talking about hitting targets, how about we do a switcheroo?" Kyoko grinned through the pain. "Your turn, Mami."

In the blink of an eye, Kyoko brandished her spear. The weapon snaked around her form before thrusting at Mami.

The blonde stood her ground, rifle already poised and ready. The explosive sound resonated through the alleyway as the bullet hit the blade with enough force to redirect its trajectory. Kyoko pulled the lance back and continued her attempts to hit Mami, the blonde successfully parrying the blade at each advance.

Once Mami ran out of rifles in the immediate vicinity – that, Kyoko realized was her moment to attack. The split moment it took for Mami to summon more weaponry, the redhead gave a shout, gathering her spear into its standard form and springing towards the other Magical Girl. In the last second, the blonde stepped aside, causing Kyoko to just barely miss her target. The redhead quickly recovered, however, going for another slice. Mami brought up her newly summon rifle, blocking the strike.

As they glared at one another, Kyoko spoke up between gasps. "Seems you do a great job at not getting hit."

"It's the name of the game."

"Guess there was no point in switching things up, huh?"

Mami smiled grimly. "I suppose not."

'_Please stop._' Madoka was torn between both of the fight occurring in the tight space. She held on tightly to Kyubey, the white critter still cradled against her chest.

"_If this continues, someone will get really hurt._" He noted. Madoka nodded her head in agreement.

"But they keep doing this! Why do they keep doing this?!"

Kyubey shook his head with a sigh. "_It's just one of those human things. This won't be the first or last time Magical Girls fight among themselves for whatever reason. We will admit that it is a bit of problem. They're wasting valuable magical reserves on insignificant matters._"

"How do we get them to stop?"

"_We're not certain. They appear to be unwilling to hear you out._" Kyubey hummed thoughtfully before jumping in her grasp. "_Perhaps there is a way to stop them._"

"What is it?"

Kyubey looked straight into her eyes. "_Make a contract with us, and become a Magical Girl!_"

His words gave Madoka pause. Would she really become a Magical Girl to stop this? A part of her wanted to say '_Yes_'; her friends were doing something foolish, and if Kyubey said that becoming a Magical Girl would give her the power to stop them... then she would do.

And yet another part of her hesitated. What would her wish be? How exactly would she stop them once she attained Magical status? How would her friends react to her decision? This couldn't be a bad decision, right?

Madoka swallowed, making her choice. "Kyubey, I-"

"Madoka!"

Juudai ran down the alleyway, per the raven's directions. She saw the pink hair in all the gloom of the corridor and picked up the pace. "I'm glad I found you!"

"Juudai-chan!" Madoka turned to the orangette, her eyes wide in panic. Juudai's eyes averted to her arms, where the pinklette clutched Kyubey to her chest. Her heart leaped in her chest as she beheld the cuteness of the critter.

"I see you're here, too."

"_Juudai, how did you know to find us here?_"

"A little birdie told me." And she left it at that. It wasn't just for a lack of an answer. Her eyes caught onto something happening in the background. Horror reflected on her face.

"LOOK OUT!"

Juudai threw herself at Madoka, pushing herself, Kyubey and the pinklette to the ground – in time to avoid a wayward bladed disc coming their way. Her heart pounded against her chest as Juudai's eyes laid over where the chakram remained embedded on the wall. A second later rage began to burn in her chest. She scrambled to her feet and turned around to face the Magical Girls. Taking a deep breathe, she gathered her voice.

"WOULD THE FOUR OF YOU JUST STOP!"

To her surprise – and pleasure – her voice did carry enough weight to interrupt the fights. Amai fully turned around to look at her.

"Judy, what are you do-?"

"Shut up." Juudai pointed a finger accusingly at her, orange eyes settling on the chakram in one of the brunette's hands. "You nearly hit Madoka just now."

Amai then turned her gaze to the pinklette in horror. Her mouth remained agape as it fell on the chakram still stuck on the wall, her question on her actions falling dead on her lips. "Oh, God..."

"I honestly don't know why the four of you are wasting your time on this. Shouldn't you be spending your time finding those awful monsters instead of attacking each other?! And where's Nagisa?!"

"I'm right here..." The whitette slowly walked around the corner behind Amai and the other Magical Girls. "I'm sorry, Juudai-neechan. I didn't do anything to stop them..."

Mami looked at the girl before her gaze fell on Kyoko. In the end, she turned to look at Madoka, walking up to her. "...Madoka, I'm so sorry. Miss Naosoroshii is right; I let all of this cloud my judgment. You could've gotten hurt..."

Madoka shook her head. "Mami, I didn't get hurt. Juudai-chan watched over me. Besides..." The pinklette turned her gaze towards Kyoko. The redhead looked away, walking towards Amai.

"...I'm out of here." She informed the brunette before leaping away.

Amai watched her depart with uncertainty, her gaze slowly turning to Juudai and the others. She eventually took a step back before running past Nagisa and turning around the corner.

Sayaka remained in the same spot, a haunted look on her face. Madoka took a step towards her, causing the blunette to snap out of her trance. She flinched away like a frighten animal. Madoka stopped, giving her a concerned look. "Sayaka, are you all right?"

Juudai looked at the girl closely; she noticed the blunette was shivering slightly.

"I... could have hurt you." Sayaka finally answered.

"Well, duh. The four of you just started fighting in a tight space with a regular person in the vicinity." Juudai admonished. For once, Sayaka had no response, merely flinching slightly at her words.

The orangette wasn't done; she aimed her glare at Mami, the blonde jumping slightly. "You, too. And out of everyone here, I thought you were the least likely to do something as stupid as get into a fight with someone. Or at the very least, keep Madoka safe so she isn't at risk of getting hurt!"

Mami avoided her gaze. "You're correct; my behavior was uncalled for."

"In more ways than one."

At those words, Mami looked up, eyes wide and wondering. Juudai rolled her eyes. "Amai; aren't you going to talk to her?" When the blonde seized up, she pushed on. "Hey, Amai's looked really upset, and that's not even counting your fight from earlier, so go! Talk to her!"

If the situation wasn't so serious, Juudai probably would have laughed at the dumbfounded look on Mami's face. Her mouth remained gaping for a moment before she returned to her normal civilian clothes and ran in the direction Amai took off.

Only four girls remained in the alleyway; Juudai crossed her arms and gave the other two Magical Girls a pointed look. Nagisa immediately dispelled her Magical attire before running towards Juudai. Sayaka took a moment before returning to her normal outfit.

Nagisa looked up at the orangette. Juudai's look soften at the concern she saw. "You're worried about Amai and Tomoe?"

"Do you think they'll be fine, Juudai-neechan?"

"I think they will, but to be on the safe side, why don't you go after them?"

Nagisa nodded her head and ran off in the same direction.

It just left the three of them; Juudai regarded the pinklette and blunette as they looked at one another. She sighed, turning away. "I'm out."

Kyubey looked in the direction Juudai left. He squirmed in Madoka's grip before jumping off and following Juudai out.

"So that happened," Madoka started with a nervous giggle. Sayaka didn't follow through with her comment, which left her to squirm nervously at the side.

Sayaka eventually mumbled something. Madoka leaned forward trying to hear.

"What was that?"

"...Are you hurt?"

Madoka looked up in surprise. "N-no, I'm fine."

Sayaka met her gaze, her eyes empty. "It's just like you to say that."

"Huh?"

"Don't act like this is all right!" Sayaka snapped at her. "You could've gotten hurt!"

"But I didn't!" Madoka threw back. Both of them appeared shock at Madoka's rebellion, but the pinklette shook her head and pushed the conversation forward. "You were angry, and I get that. You're at least right about one thing; it isn't right to make people suffer for our selfishness, especially since you have the power to protect them."

Madoka took a breather in before continuing. "But I do agree with Juudai; you shouldn't have fought. You could've gotten hurt."

Sayaka snapped her head towards her. "Look who's talking! I was worried about you, Madoka!"

"I was worried about you, too! And it's not just that! Sayaka, there has to be another way to convince her to stop doing that, something that doesn't involve fighting or hurting anyone..." Madoka desperately tried to reign in her tears, her shoulders shaking after letting it all out of her chest.

Sayaka approached Madoka slowly, wrapping her arms around her friend. She gently rubbed circles on her back.

"I'm sorry." Sayaka whispered.

Sayaka tightened her grip on Madoka. She didn't know what she was apologizing for; for hurting her best friend or for refusing to let her resentment towards the redhead go.

* * *

~ Mitakihara City: Park ~

If she focused enough, Mami could feel Amai's Magical presence not far from her. The brunette must have burnt out running from her, otherwise she would have gone further and far away from her.

Eventually, she saw her ahead and ran up to catch up. Amai was sitting on a bench, head down. Mami took a seat next to her.

The two of them lapsed into silence. Mami looked around her for a bit, waiting to see if Amai was going to speak up. When she didn't, Mami took it upon herself to start the conversation.

"If you look at it from one perspective, it looks like the two of us just came from a date."

As she expected, Amai twitched at her suggestion. Mami managed a giggle.

"As a matter of a fact, there is a cafe just down the street that I love to visit. The atmosphere is incredible and the food is delicious. ...I wouldn't mind going there one day with you."

Amai hiccupped, finally looking at Mami. The blonde met her gaze, her eyes golden eyes sad.

"That is if you'll let me, Amai." Mami's face fell, tears prickling the edges of her eyes. "I missed you. And I apologize for what I said to you. It was utterly uncalled for. You did what you could do for your family, and I completely disrespected your decision. It was your choice; I had no right to judge it."

Taking a deep breathe, Amai spoke. "What exactly did you wish to become a Magical Girl, Mami?"

It took a moment before Mami could prepare herself to respond to that. "...I wished for my life to be saved."

Amai's eyes widen. "Because of the accident."

Mami nodded her head, tears beginning to fall. "It was the spur of the moment, when Kyubey appeared at the car crash. I didn't – it never occurred to me to wish for all of us to be saved..."

A breathe hissed past Amai's teeth, heart pounding in empathy for the blonde. "Damn, Mami, I didn't know..."

The blonde shook her head. "It isn't something I went around telling everyone. But it wasn't until recently that I realized how much of a grip that incident had on me."

"I can't blame you, though. That sounds awful... I don't know what I would do if I were in your shoes, if I'd lost my mother, my father, Jayden and Little Brother..."

"I think one of the reasons why I was so upset is because I was jealous." At Amai's incredulous look, Mami elaborated. "It sounds awful, I know, but hear me out. My being upset stems from the fact that you managed to save your family with your wish. I... didn't. And it still hurts till this day. I miss my parents." Mami sniffed.

Without words, Amai brought Mami into her embrace. "You have a family with me, my family, too. Can you quit pushing me away?"

Mami nodded her head, tightening her hold. "Yes."

"...I'm sorry. I need to apologize, too. I have to understand that you were just trying to look out for me. But I honest to God felt like you were telling me I should have let my mom and Jayden go."

"No, of course not, Amai."

"I know it was stupid of me to think so; that's not like you. But I just couldn't look past that." Amai struggled to keep her own tears in. "I guess, aside from that, it also felt like you were telling me I couldn't when I clearly could. It was my choice to make, and I didn't appreciate you were telling me no."

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to keep you safe, Amai. But you're right. It's your decision." Mami smiled softly. "It's nice to have you on the team, Amai."

The brunette's eyes sparkled. "REALLY?!"

Mami giggled. "Really." She huffed when Amai hugged her tightly, then laughed afterwards while returning the hug.

"Amai-neechan!"

The two of them looked up to see Nagisa running towards them, waving. She threw herself onto the girls, all three erupting to further laughter as they brought Nagisa into the embrace.

"So~ when are we going to have an actual date?" Amai asked Mami a moment later, fluttering her eyes. Mami scoffed and hit her on the shoulder.


End file.
